


An Accidental Seduction

by Mikasacchi



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Akashi being Akashi, Dirty Talk, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Fuckbuddies, Haikyuu! cameo, Kise has a xxx-rated mouth though actually, Kise x OC (het) sex scene, Kuroko being Kuroko, M/M, Post-Winter Cup, Shameless Smut, Teikou Era, Winter Cup, naturallysexy!Kise, pining!aomine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-07 11:41:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 60,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4262049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikasacchi/pseuds/Mikasacchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aomine thought he would explode at the kind of sinful, dirty things Kise was saying -  the dark huskiness of his tone, so different from the usual whining Aomine was accustomed to. Almost instinctively, Aomine’s own hand crept towards the bulge in his pants. </p>
<p>“Nnnngh… ahhh~” the girl practically sang, and Aomine could hear the wet sounds of Kise’s fingers sliding in and out of her sex. </p>
<p>He was fingering her. Kise was fingering a girl, and Aomine was getting off on watching it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Teikou Arc

**Author's Note:**

> I've read my share of excellent Kise pining over/crushing on Aomine fics, but I wanted to write it from Aomine's perspective. Kise is sexy as hell, and I'm sure Aominecchi felt all sorts of funny things for him too. This fic explores that, all from his perspective. It'll be about 5 (extremely lengthy) chapters long. 
> 
> Warnings: so much smut, shameless, dirty-talking smut, the dirtiest smut I have ever written in my life. Also, voyeur!Aomine and one instance of Kise x female OC, though the OC isn't actually so much of an OC as you might thik... well, you'll find out ;) 
> 
> Two quick things: 
> 
> 1) I know Akashi has his two sides (Oreshi and Bokushi) which refer to the GoM by different names, but I'm going to keep him referring to them by their first names throughout, since his switch isn't the focus of this fic.
> 
> 2) Also, I alternate between Momoi and Satsuki a lot (depending if I'm talking from Aomine's perspective, or a more general one) so I'm sorry if that bothers/confuses anyone!

“Oi. Satsuki. I’m bored. And hungry.”

“Well what am I supposed to do about that?”

“Make me food,” Aomine replied, as if it were obvious.

Satsuki glared at him over the top of the fashion magazine she was reading. “Dai-chan, you baka! I’m not your maid.”

“Not like you have anything better to do.”

Which was true. It was the last week of summer break before they began their second year at Teikou middle school. Aomine and Satsuki were spending the last few days of their break - the days which weren’t taken up by streetball matches - lazing around and doing absolutely nothing.

“Satsuki,” Aomine prodded irritably, seeing that the pinkette was simply ignoring him. “Oi!”

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Satsuki finally snapped.

“Doing what exactly? You’ve been staring at that page of - ” he leaned over to sneak a peek at Satsuki’s magazine, and read the name stamped across the glossy page, “-pictures of Kise Ryouta for the past ten minutes!”

“I have not!” Satsuki defended shrilly, clutching the magazine to her chest as Aomine attempted to pluck it away. They scuffled for a few seconds and Aomine emerged victorious, grabbing the magazine and looking over the photospread.

A gorgeous blonde model with sparkling golden eyes and a dazzling smile seemed to stare right back out.

“Who is this, your new celebrity crush?” Aomine sneered. “I didn’t know you were into pretty boys.”

“I don’t have a crush on him, he’s just - nice to look at.” Satsuki rolled her eyes, holding a hand out. “I’ll have that back now, thanks.”

“No way. Between ogling ikemen-kun and making me a sandwich, I think I know which I’d rather have you do,” Aomine ploughed on, either oblivious to or entirely unaffected by Satsuki’s palpable rage. “What is he even wearing, is that mascara? On a guy? Gross.”

“I don’t know what I’m more shocked at, the fact that you know what mascara is, or the fact that you noticed his eyelashes,” Satsuki shot back. “Who’s the one ogling now?”

“Shut up, Satsuki,” Aomine chucked the magazine back at her, before laying back down. “I’m taking a nap…”

“Ehh? But Dai-chan, I thought we were hanging out…” Satsuki pouted.

“You’re the one who’s too busy reading some stupid magazine.”

“You’ll understand the fascination behind these kinds of magazines one day,” Satsuki said, her eyes twinkling. “I’d say give it a year or two, tops.”

“Shut up,” Aomine muttered again, before yawning, his eyes fluttering shut.

 

* * *

 

“What’s all the commotion? Is everyone really that excited about the first day of school?” Aomine muttered, eyeing the crowd – mainly of excited, shrieking girls – gathered outside of the Teikou gate.

“Ooh, but they’re all girls,” Satsuki commented, trying to peer over the gaggle of simpering girls to get a look. “Probably a hot new transfer student or something…”

“Tch.” Aomine scoffed. “I don’t have time for that shit. I wanted to shoot a few hoops before class.”

He began shoving through the crowd, ignoring Satsuki’s ‘Dai-chan, wait, you can’t be late for first period again!’ until a flash of golden caught his eye.

_Huh._ Aomine couldn’t tell from that far away, but the source of all the excitement – a rather sheepish-looking boy – looked uncannily like that male model from Satsuki’s magazine. Aomine didn’t usually remember the names or faces of whatever models or idols Satsuki gushed over (they changed on a weekly basis and he wasn’t bothered enough to keep up), but somehow the name Kise Ryouta had stuck.

That, and his face. Because he had been ridiculously pretty – something even Aomine could tell from a short glimpse at the magazine spread.

****_What the hell does he think he’s doing, waltzing into our school and causing such a ruckus,_ Aomine grumbled mentally, fighting his way through the waves of hysteric fangirls. Eventually, he extricated himself from the crowd, and jogged towards the open doors of the gym.

He’d probably be late for the first period. Again. But Aomine didn’t care about that as his fingers closed around the comfortingly rough orange rubber, muscles flexing slightly as he released the ball, feeling it roll against the tips of his fingers.

* * *

 

Aomine scowled as he leaned back against the brick wall near the gate.

_Two more minutes and I’m ditching her._

It was weird for him to have to wait for Satsuki. It was usually her who waited for him, since he always insisted on staying on after basketball practice ended to get in a few more shots.

But this time she had insisted that he wait, because apparently she absolutely needed to discuss something extremely important with Kuroko, who also happened to stay on after practice.

“Reshoot? Ehhh, but, but why?? I spent three hours on it yesterday, I’m bored of it already.”

****_Well, that’s clearly not Satsuki,_ Aomine sighed. Someone was approaching – a male, by the sound of their voice. Not the person he wanted to see. Aomine turned impatiently.

“What do you mean the lighting was bad? Can’t they just brighten it on a computer?”

It was Kise Ryouta – and, Aomine realized, slightly startled – that he was wearing the Teikou uniform, though like him, he had also abandoned the blazer for a white cardigan.

_So he goes here now?_

Kise Ryouta did not seem to notice Aomine as he continued whining to whoever it was on the other end of his phone, as he approached the gate.

“Well, fiiine, if I absolutely have to. But tell them to go easy on the makeup this time! That foundation was really rough on my skin, you know.”

Kise stopped at the gate – a few meters away from Aomine – clearly waiting for someone, as he continued talking on his cellphone. Fortunately, there were no girls around, or Aomine suspected he’d get mobbed again.

Aomine studied the boy out of the corner of his eye, for no real reason other than the fact that he was bored and there was nothing else to do.

His hair was slightly darker than what it had appeared in the magazine, a more golden rather than blonde, and it looked ridiculously shiny and soft as it framed his pretty face. Kise Ryouta was unfairly blessed in the looks department: he was about as tall as Aomine, with high cheekbones and a perfectly shaped nose. He also had ridiculously long eyelashes, but they suited him somehow, making him appear delicate without taking away from his undeniable handsomeness, even for a 14-year old.

_Tch. What was a model doing here so late after school anyways? It’s not like we have an school idol club…_

Kise continued chatting animatedly on his phone, and Aomine pulled out his own, shooting a text to Satsuki.

A few moments later, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sleek black car pull up, and then saw Kise Ryouta get into it.

****_Ugh, what a lucky bastard,_ Aomine thought to himself. _Getting a car to drive him around, while I have to wait on a girl to walk home together._

 

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Aomine caught glimpses of the famous new transfer student, Kise Ryouta; but he was never alone, always surrounded by a large group of gushing girls and admiring boys, though mainly the former. It wasn’t that Aomine particularly cared, but the news and gossip surrounding the model reached even his deaf-to-all-but-basketball ears. Since, it seemed, Kise Ryouta was the hot topic of discussion among everyone in his class, despite the fact that the model was in a different class.

“Ahh, Kise-kun is so handsome, you know I bumped into him by mistake the other day and he smiled at me…”

“He smiled at you? So wait, you saw him up close?! I’m jealous!!”

“He’s even more gorgeous than in the pictures!”

“Do you think he’d go out with me?”

“With you?! Not a chance! He’s too good for someone like you!”

“That’s mean! Do you think he has a girlfriend?”

“He can’t not have a girlfriend, look at him!”

It was always the same thing. Aomine tried to ignore them as he shoveled down his food, eager to get to the court and spend the rest of his break doing something productive.

“Kise-kun joined the track team? I thought he was playing tennis!”

“Oh, don’t you know? He destroyed all the senpai in a one-on-one tennis match, got bored, and quit.”

“What?! He’s that good at tennis?”

“Good-looking and talented at sports… some guys have everything, geez…”

“You’re both wrong. Last I heard he quit track because he bested all their times and is joining baseball.”

“Wait what? Besides, is that even allowed, to switch between clubs so often?”

“The baseball team allowed it because he was insanely good. He scored the winning home run in the practice match, and apparently it was his first time playing!”

“That’s not possible…”

“It is! I was there, I played too. Kise-kun is really incredible…”

“How can someone be that good at that many sports? It’s unreal.”

“I heard the soccer team is trying to convince him to leave baseball and join them. They saw him at gym class the other day, and he totally owned Tanaka-kun in a one-on-one.”

“Wait, isn’t Tanaka-kun that kid who got scouted specifically for his soccer skills? The one who scored half the goals in the tournament last year for our team?”

“Yeah, that guy!”

“Damn… how can a newbie be better than him?!”

“I saw that match! Kise-kun practically did a rainbow over Tanaka’s head and scored with that.”

“No way!”

Aomine couldn’t help but listen to the conversation with slightly more interest this time.

_So model-kun is good at sports, huh? I would have thought he’d be too scared to get mud on his face, or something._

Aomine polished off the rest of his bento and stood up, throwing the wad of tissues carelessly towards the trashcan behind him. He didn’t bother turning back to check whether it went in.

* * *

 

A month in, and practically the entire school was abuzz with rumors about Kise Ryouta’s magical sports prowess: his uncanny ability to pick up apparently any sport and excel at it within days, defeating all the practiced players with ease. Aomine mildly wondered whether he’d try his hand at basketball once he’d gotten bored of all the other clubs.

Aomine didn’t know much about the other clubs, but Teikou’s basketball team was top-notch. Even the second-string was hard to get into, and he doubted that a newbie would ever make it, even one with seemingly miraculous abilities like Kise Ryouta.

_I’d like to see him try, though,_ Aomine thought. _I bet he couldn’t get a single basket past me, though if he’s really that good, it might be fun to have an actual opponent._

 

* * *

 

“Kise-kuuuun!!! Go for it!”

“Kise-kun, you’re so cool!”

“MARRY ME KISE-KUN!”

Aomine stopped in his tracks, snorting.

_What now?_

There was a wild ruckus coming from the soccer field, and all the female voices seemed to be screaming the same name.

_He should just pick one already and save them the trouble,_ Aomine thought disdainfully, but his curiosity was piqued.

He’d heard rumors, but he’d never quite seen Kise Ryouta in action.

He stopped by the edge of the soccer field. It seemed like Kise’s class was having its physical education test.

Aomine remembered the test: quite a pesky task, being forced to juggle a soccer ball with your entire body. Except hands. You weren’t allowed to use hands, because that was how soccer worked.

Aomine had thought it was stupid, and promptly gave up after five consecutive traps. It was too much trouble trying to coordinate with your legs and knees and chest and head. Why the hell did people even bother with those body parts when hands were so much more adept, so much more versatile. Subtle shifts of fingers could change a ball’s movements and trajectory so much more efficiently and easily. And Aomine really only bothered with things that came to him naturally and didn’t require any extra effort. Like basketball. Basketball was breathing. Soccer was – well – soccer wasn't basketball. 

Besides, Aomine was the ace of the Teikou basketball team. No coach in their right mind would give him less than an A, even if he couldn’t do a few stupid juggles with a soccer ball.

Ryouta Kise, however, seemed to have no such problems. Aomine couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised – if he was, as rumors seemed to suggest, a relative newbie to soccer – there was no way that he could have been so good.

Most of the students were sitting down, exhausted. But only four remained, including Kise. Aomine vaguely recognized the other three as members of the soccer team.

They were all juggling the ball with a practiced easy, showing no signs of stopping. A few minutes later, one of the soccer team members fumbled, and was forced to stop. Seconds later, the second gave up as well.

Kise didn’t, and continued, his movements fluid, graceful, perfect. 

Aomine didn’t know why, but more than some spectacular soccer skills, it was Kise’s expression that caught his eye.

_He looks so bored._ __

Kise did look unfathomably bored – annoyed almost. He didn’t seem to be particularly enjoying all of the cheers. His golden eyes were slanted, watching the movements of the boy next to him, who, from the sound of it, was Tanaka from the soccer team.

_He’s barely looking at the ball, and he’s still hitting it every time!_

Aomine wasn’t particularly interested in soccer, but Kise’s level of coordination intrigued him nonetheless.

_I wonder how fast he’d pick up dribbling, and weaves, and tricks like that…_

And then there was his expression… something about his expression made Aomine want to go up and talk to him. He had no idea why; he barely knew the boy. But he recognized something in those golden eyes, that deadpan face.

He recognized it because it was the very expression he wore half the time during basketball practice.

Aomine enjoyed basketball immensely. But sometimes, it was hard to stay enthusiastic, and not get bored, when he was leagues above everyone else in talent – except for perhaps Akashi, Midorima and Murasakibara. He’d make an exception for those three.

_He’s bored, and he wants a challenge._

Aomine knew the look because he knew the feeling. And he felt the same.

Eventually, something on Kise’s face changed – a spasm of annoyance flickering across his handsome countenance – and with lightning speed, he kicked the ball towards the goal. It whipped right in, and Kise immediately begin walking out, heedless of the delighted shrieks behind him.

Aomine quickly left before they passed. Kise Ryouta didn’t even know who he was, but he still didn’t want to seem like some weirdo who spied on other class’s physical education tests.

* * *

 

That afternoon at basketball practice, Aomine caught a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye. Overtaken by a sudden impulse, he flung the ball, making sure to thrust his fingers so that it would spin, the trajectory making it curve sharply.

A brown-haired freshman yelped and ducked, and another boy – silver-haired – glowered at him.  

“What the fuck was that?” Haizaki demanded. “Don’t tell me you were trying to shoot!”

“A pass,” Aomine said sheepishly, “which you clearly weren’t fast enough to receive.”

“The hell?” Haizaki retorted. “It flew out of the fucking door, your aim sucked balls!”

“Language, Shougo,” Akashi remarked idly. “Atsushi, if you could – ”

“I’ll get it,” Aomine said quickly, racing out of the door as Murasakibara began groaning about ‘Mine-chin’s the one who knocked it out so he should have to go, not me.’

The sight of one Kise Ryouta – cursing to himself as he rubbed his head, the back of his perfect hair mussed up by the collision – proved that Aomine’s aim did not, in Haizaki’s words, ‘suck balls’.

Indeed, it had been a rather tricky shot, hurling that ball in a way that it missed all the players and curved out of the door and hit what Aomine had guessed would be Kise’s path.

“Sorry about that!” Aomine said, jogging up to Kise.

The blonde turned around, scowling.

“Oh, hey, you’re that famous model,” Aomine commented casually. “Kise Ryouta, right?”

A moment later, he wondered if it was too creepy that he knew his name.

N _ah, everyone knows him, he’s probably used to it. He has no clue I was stalking him. Which I wasn’t. That wasn’t stalking at all._

“What the hell was that,” Kise grumbled, hurling the ball back at Aomine.

It was a careless throw, and yet had the perfect amount of force, and a good, sharp trajectory, Aomine noted.

“Thanks.” He caught it, and immediately turned around and jogged back towards the court. He didn’t want to keep Akashi waiting, and Kise didn’t seem like he was in the mood to chat.

Besides, his job was done. He hadn’t really been looking to strike a conversation.

All he had wanted to achieve was to put the notion of basketball in Kise Ryouta’s head; which he had managed to do rather effectively, by literally putting a basketball to Kise Ryouta’s head.

It was only a matter of time now.

* * *

 

Not ten minutes later, Aomine caught another flash of gold on the side of the court. Smirking slightly, he decided to show off a bit. Instead of his usual formless throw, he swooped in and went for a full-power slam dunk.

Dunks were always impressive, even to basketball newbies.

Aomine turned his head slightly, still grasping onto the red rim of the basket, and met Kise’s wide, golden-eyed stare with a cool blue gaze.

“Did you need something?”

Kise stared at him for a few seconds longer, and Aomine couldn’t help the slight thrill that bubbled inside of him; because there was admiration and utter awe in that gaze, clear and simple.

It was weird; Aomine was used to getting admiring and awed stares all the time when he played basketball. But there was an unnerving intensity in Kise Ryouta’s golden eyes.

That, and the feeling Aomine got that for some reason, Kise Ryouta was not a person easily impressed.

He eventually jumped back down on the court, his gaze still locked with Kise’s.

“I was wondering if I could join the basketball club,” Kise said slowly, and Aomine bit back a smirk.

“Well,” he began, looking over to Akashi. 

Surprisingly, the redhead agreed almost immediately. “Kise Ryouta, is it? Wait here till practice ends. We’ll try you out once it’s over.”

* * *

 

Aomine made sure to sneak in as many stunts, fancy dribbles and shots as he could, without appearing obvious or obnoxious. He felt Kise’s gaze on his every move, as well as – to his slight discomfort – Akashi’s.

Of course, he couldn’t have expected any of it to get past Akashi’s all-seeing eyes.

Haizaki was fuming by the time they took their water break ten minutes later.

****“You know there’s a thing known as passing, asshole."

“Daiki, a word, please,” Akashi slid in, before Aomine could form a retort.

Aomine followed the redhead a few meters away so that they could speak without the rest of the team overhearing. Aomine chanced a glimpse at Kise. He was seated on the bench, now watching the game that was taking place at the other end of the court.

“Akashi. What’s up?”

“I noticed you seemed rather fired up during the practice match,” Akashi commented casually. 

There was no point beating around the bush with Akashi, but Aomine attempted it anyways. “You know I love basketball, and Haizaki was being more of a dick than usual. Someone needs to show him his place.”

“That may be so, but given your rather ridiculous stunt earlier, I can’t help but question your motives.”

Aomine rubbed his neck. “Huh?”

“That pass was more deliberately misdirectional than anything even Tetsuya has managed to pull off till date. You were aiming for Kise Ryouta, weren’t you?”

“Ah, fine, you got me,” Aomine muttered, flushing slightly.

“I suppose you were also showing off for him.”

“Well, kind of, yeah… hey, wait – not when you put it that way!”

Akashi smiled slightly. “I had my eye on him too, you know.”

“Wait, what?!”

“I think he would be suitable for our team,” Akashi said, red eyes glinting. “In fact, I had planned to talk to him myself, but you beat me to it. Nice trick, by the way. By not making it seem deliberate, you piqued his interest without revealing ours.”

“Ah, well.” Aomine shrugged, feeling a tiny bit annoyed that he hadn’t been the only one who had discovered Kise and judged him to be a good fit for their team. Then again, knowing Akashi, he should have expected this.

_Still, if he turns out to be good enough and gets in… it’ll be all on me!_

“Stay back after practice,” Akashi said, and Aomine raised an eyebrow.

“I know you always do, but this time, it’s to watch Ryouta-kun’s tryout. I’m sure you’re as interested as I am, if not more.”

Aomine smirked. “Don’t have them go easy on him. From what I’ve heard, he seems to think he can excel at any sport he tries, without having to put in much effort.”

“Oh I won’t,” Akashi assured him, and they began walking back towards the rest of the team. “Oh, and Daiki?”

“Hm?”

“I applaud your ability to scout out talent, and your subtle but indirect persuasion skills. If ever I die or suffer a grotesque and permanently disabling injury, and Shintarou is also similarly incapacitated, I appoint you as captain of this team in our stead.”

Aomine laughed. Akashi really had the habit of saying the most macabre things in a perfectly deadpan, normal voice.

“I got your back.”

* * *

 

Kise’s tryout was ridiculous.

Kise himself was ridiculous.

For someone who had never handled a basketball in his life, the blonde was getting in way too many lay-ups. Aomine felt a surge of triumph that Kise hadn’t attempted a slam dunk – but then immediately felt a bit stupid, given the fact that he was comparing his abilities that had been honed over years to a complete newbie.

Kise dribbled decently as well, and managed to weave around and dodge the third-string players Akashi had mark him.

The tryout barely lasted fifteen minutes, before Akashi pronounced it over, and dismissed the others.

“You’re in,” he said curtly, walking up to Kise, who was panting slightly, his face flushed and his blonde hair drenched with sweat. “Third string. Practice on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after school, and alternate Saturday mornings. I’ll have someone take your measurements later for gear.”

“Wait, really, that’s it?” Kise looked delighted. “So I’m in?”

“Third-string, yes.”

“For now.” Kise beamed at him, and Aomine didn’t know whether to be impressed or put off by his gall – or rather, his utter sense of ego and self-worth.

Akashi just raised an eyebrow, but Aomine could tell that he was interested. “We’ll see about how you progress based on your performance.”

And with that, he left, nodding to Aomine as he walked by. Aomine took the chance to walk up to Kise, who was wiping away at his face with a towel.

“Hey.”

“Hi!” Kise flashed him a smile, his voice bubbling with excitement when he spoke. “I’m Kise Ryouta! I’m a second year, just transferred this year actually.”

Aomine was a little taken aback by the dazzling smile and the fact that Kise – unlike their brief interactions previously, where he’d been oblivious to Aomine’s presence or just simply not bothered to notice or converse – suddenly seemed so happy and excited to talk to him.

“I already know your name, idiot,” he muttered. “I’m Aomine Daiki. Same year as you.”

“Nice to meet you!” Kise said enthusiastically, eyes crinkling as he smiled even wider. “I was watching you earlier, doing those dunks and things. You’re really amazing!”

“Right…”

Aomine scratched his head awkwardly. He truly hadn’t expected him – with his insane talent, popularity and good looks – to be this warm or _friendly_. From his brief glimpses of Kise with others, the golden-haired model had always given off the impression of being bored, perhaps a bit arrogant. Even when he had smiled, they had been lazy, languid smiles, the kind of smiles people put on for cameras.

And yet, here he was – the seemingly perfect model from Satsuki’s magazines – talking to him and grinning like a real person. It was weirdly surreal, and Aomine didn’t know why he felt that way.

“How long have you been playing basketball? Since when have you been able to dunk like that? How long did you have to practice to do it?”

Kise was chattering non-stop, barraging him with questions.

“Ah, thanks,” Aomine said. “I’ve been playing ever since I remember. And dunks, well… they’re not really a big deal, once you get used to them.”

“But you’re just a middle-schooler!” Kise still sounded awed.

“Well – maybe I’ll show you some day,” Aomine muttered, unsure how to respond to the praise being showered upon him, and Kise’s bubbly intensity.

“Ooh, I’d love that!” Kise flashed him yet another dazzling smile and Aomine really didn’t know why the boy was so – _sparkly_ , for lack of a better word.

They headed out of the gym together, and Aomine caught sight of Satsuki waiting for him at the gate. She had been there for Kise's tryout, but had disappeared after Kuroko right after.  

Aomine didn’t know why, but for some reason he didn’t quite feel like properly introducing Kise to her just yet; something which would be inevitable if she saw the two of them talking together.

For one thing, Kise was rapidly giving Aomine the impression that he was more excitable and bubbly than Satsuki during her more hyper moments, and Aomine didn’t think he’d be able to stand their combined sparkliness.

And secondly… well… he definitely had an active interest in Kise, one which he wanted to save for just himself. He wanted to see how Kise grew over the next few weeks before bringing him into the whirlwind that was Satsuki – and then eventually Murasakibara, Midorima and Kuroko as well.

“Ah, I just realized I forgot something in the locker room,” Aomine said. “See you tomorrow.”

“Oh okay! See you!”

* * *

 

The next couple days, Aomine and Kise crossed paths at practice a few times. Kise would wave enthusiastically at him, and Aomine would nod back, but their interactions were limited to that. The first and second strings practiced on the outdoor courts, while the third-stringers were on the indoor ones. They would rotate every week, but this also meant that Aomine didn’t see Kise as often as he’d expect.

One day – he convinced himself it was out of boredom more than anything, since Satsuki had accosted Kuroko during lunch break, Murasakibara had skipped school that day, Akashi was meeting the coach, and he didn’t particularly feel like hanging out with just Midorima and Haizaki – Aomine found himself ditching their usual table in the lunchroom and headed to Kise’s classroom instead.

He found the golden-haired model sitting atop a desk, legs crossed, somehow managing to make the process of eating out of a bento with chopsticks an irrationally stylish and magazine cover-worthy affair. He was – as usual – surrounded, though this time there was a group of boys, rather than girls.

_Oh geez._

Unsure of what exactly possessed him to behave that way, Aomine snuck up from behind them, flinging an arm around Kise’s shoulder.

“Oi!” Kise jumped slightly, startled, before turning his head. “What the – ”

“Sup.”

“A-Aomine-kun?!”

Aomine couldn’t help the tingle of excitement when Kise’s face lit up at seeing him. Kise was unfairly good-looking, and he still wasn’t quite used to it.

Ignoring the baleful looks being sent towards him by the group of boys – all of whom probably would have liked being so comfortable with someone they considered as cool as Kise and were mentally cursing Aomine’s audacity to touch their precious idol – Aomine reached over to pluck the chopsticks from Kise’s hand and picked up a piece of sushi.

“Mind if I have a bite?”

“You’re generally supposed to ask that before stealing someone’s food.” Kise rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem to mind. Aomine also noted that he made no move to shove Aomine’s arm off his shoulder.

“I’m just helping you finish. Hurry up.”

“Why? There’s still twenty-five minutes left…”

“Yeah, well I thought you might want to shoot some hoops before break ended.”

Kise gobbled down the rest of the food in a flash, announcing brightly, “I’m done!”

And then he more than happily let Aomine drag him out of the classroom, waving to the despondent crowd behind them. “See you guys later!”

They shot a few baskets – and Aomine noticed how Kise’s eyes would watch him closely, carefully, scrutinizing his every move.

What struck him as strange was that Kise seemed to be mimicking Aomine’s style of shooting. When Aomine would go in for a layup, Kise would go in for a layup. When Aomine tried a clutch shut, Kise would try a clutch shot. When Aomine threw a hook shot, Kise threw a hook shot.

And he managed to get every single shot in.

_This is not normal for someone in their first week of basketball._

* * *

 

It became a routine after that. Every now and then, Aomine would ditch the usual table where the first-string starters gathered for lunch, and head to Kise’s classroom. They’d eat together, and then shoot baskets together. A couple times, Aomine taught him a few dribbling tricks. He was shocked at how easily Kise picked things up. Fast learner would be the understatement of the century.

Two weeks later, Akashi announced at lunch that one Kise Ryouta would be joining first-string.

_About time._ Aomine tried not to smirk, wondering why he was feeling so proud when he actually should have been feeling terrified that someone like that existed, someone good enough to get into first-string within two weeks.

_He could be a challenge. Not now, and not in the near-future. But maybe some day…_

“I know that guy,” Aomine commented casually, ignoring Akashi’s knowing gaze.

_Of course you do_ , Akashi’s eyes seem to mock him. _You stalked him and are secretly tutoring him during breaks, aren’t you?_

****Aomine knew Akashi knew, but he figured Akashi wouldn’t mind. Besides, if Akashi’s plans involved Kise, he was probably glad that Aomine was taking him under his wing.

* * *

 

That afternoon, Kise showed up at first-string practice, beaming. Akashi had Aomine, Kuroko, Murasakibara and Midorima sit out while Kise went against the senpai. Haizaki had been ditching practice again.

Though Aomine had witnessed his growth during their few short lunchtime sessions, he hadn’t seen Kise go one-on-one with anyone. His ability was truly miraculous, his movements nothing short of what one would expect from a more seasoned player.

“He’s a monster,” Murasakibara commented through a mouthful of fries, as they watched Kise take on two first-stringers at once.

“He must be a Gemini,” was Midorima’s assessment as he pushed his glasses up with a bandaged finger. “Geminis have the best of luck today.

“Ehh? Is that so? Aka-chin, when’s his birthday?”

“June 18th.”

“Ah. Mido-chin was right.”

Aomine wasn’t even surprised that Akashi knew Kise’s birthday. Such things are to be expected when it comes to Akashi.

“What’s happening?” a new voice joined them.

“Kuroko,” Aomine greeted with a grin. “Take a look at our newest member.”

“Ah, so that’s Kise-kun?”

“Yep.”

Kuroko watched Kise for a few more moments, before nodded. “I can understand what everyone was so excited about. To think he’s only played for two weeks…”

“Yep, he’s a prodigy in his own right.” Aomine tried very hard to not look or sound too proud. He probably failed miserably, but none of the others noticed, all too busy focusing on Kise.

“He learns fast. I’m not sure what Akashi-kun expects me to teach him.”

“Huh?” Aomine turned towards Kuroko. “What do you mean?”

“Well… Momoi-san told me that I’m supposed to be his mentor.”

* * *

 

“Oi! Satsuki!” Aomine cornered her during the break, pulling her away from the rest of the group.

“Dai-chan? What’s up?”

“What’s up with this Kuroko thing?”

“Wh-what?!” Satsuki blushed ten shades of pink. “Wh-what thing about Tetsu-kun?! There’s nothing going on about Tetsu-kun! Nothing at all!”

Aomine stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head, attributing it to Satsuki’s usual bouts of weirdness. “He’s Kise’s mentor, right?”

“Oh!” Satsuki laughed, looking strangely relieved. “That Tetsu-kun thing. Heh heh heh. Heh heh. Heh.”

“Satsuki?” Aomine prodded her, impatient. “Well?”

“You mean the fact that Tetsu-kun was assigned to be Kise-kun’s mentor?”

“Yeah, that. What’s up with that?”

Satsuki smirked slightly, a devilish glint in her rose eyes. “Well, well, Dai-chan. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were jealous. Afraid that Ikemen-kun will become Tetsu-kun’s new favorite player? That he’ll steal all those passes?”

“What?” Satsuki’s implications were lost on Aomine. “No, I don’t – oi, Tetsu and I are a fucking great team okay – I just thought I’d be the one mentoring Kise. If anyone.”

“Ehhhh?” Satsuki’s eyes grew wide. “So you’re jealous of Tetsu-kun?!”

“I’m not jealous of anyone!” Aomine snapped. “I just thought that – well, Kise’s style of play matches mine a lot more than Tetsu’s.”

“I never thought of you as the type to want to take on a new player, Dai-chan. I thought you’d think those kinds of things were a pain.”

“Well, they are. Usually. But Kise – he seems different. Strong.”

“Be as that may, it wasn’t my decision.” Satsuki shrugged. “I’m just following Akashi-kun’s orders.”

* * *

 

“So you’ve come to express your dissent at Ryouta being assigned to Tetsuya rather than to you?”

“Wh-what?” Aomine spluttered. “How the hell do you do that, it’s creepy!”

Akashi’s lips curved upwards. “I would have thought you wanted to take him under your wing, given how much of your lunch-time you’ve spent tutoring him one-on-one.”

“I wasn’t - exactly - tutoring him,” Aomine muttered.

“I’ve never seen you bother with any of the others. And a lot of them look like they could use the extra help.”

“Well, none of the others show the kind of promise Kise does.”

“True,” Akashi agreed. “I still think it would be more beneficial for the team if Tetsuya is his tutor. He needs to learn to trust Tetsuya whole-heartedly. Moreover, his play style seems similar to yours in that you are both offensive. For this, I think it’s better that you take on the rival role and have Tetsuya do the mentor role.”

Aomine’s eyes widened slightly. “Rival role? What the heck does that mean?”

“Ryouta will grow to idolize you. He’s barely begun playing, but it’s clear that he has begun to see you as some sort of a measure of his skills, a goal of sorts. A person he wishes to emulate, a level he wishes to achieve.”

Aomine stared at the redhead. “I don’t get it.”

Akashi sighed. “Right now, none of us are naïve enough to think that Ryouta could best you in a match. He won’t think it himself. But give him time. Once he surpasses the rest, you’ll be all he has left, all he has to strive towards. The one person he admires the most and the one person he cannot beat. It’s the best way to instigate him into improving faster.”

“Right, you’ve thought about this waaay too much.”

“I’m doing it for you as well, Daiki,” Akashi said benevolently.

Aomine raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“We both know how much you have yearned for a true challenge, to play someone who can match up to you and provide you some thrill. It’s only a matter of time before he starts challenging you to one-on-ones.”

Aomine snorted. “He’s good, but not that good. That’ll take months. Years.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“I don’t know about this whole rivalry thing, and as great as Tetsu is, I still think I’d be the more effective mentor.”

“Are you implying that I was mista- ”

“ _But_ given that you’re always correct about these things, I’ll take your word for it,” Aomine amended hastily. “If it is as you say, I’m looking forward to the day that he does challenge me. I hope he won’t make me wait for too long.”

“He won’t.”

When Kise grumbled about having Kuroko as a mentor, Aomine bit back a smirk and instead chucked a ball at the blonde’s head.

* * *

 

That day after practice, Aomine decided to wait for Kise by the gates. Akashi had held him back for something, so he was taking longer than the rest of them. Satsuki had already left. Aomine figured that since Kise was finally on the same string as him, it would be perfectly normal to ask him to hang out after school.

He’d considered asking him before, but it would have been way too random and way too weird.

“Aomine-kun?”

“Ah. Tetsu.” Aomine ruffled the shorter boy’s hair. “Nice pass earlier.”

“Nice receive,” Kuroko replied, and Aomine grinned, bumping his fist. “Momoi-san already left.”

“Ah, I know,” Aomine said, thinking for a few moments before deciding to include Kuroko. They were a team, after all, and Kuroko was Kise’s mentor. Nothing like some after-practice bonding time.

“So I was thinking of grabbing popsicles or something at the mart with Kise, will you come?”

“Kise-kun?” Tetsu blinked, before nodding slowly. “Sure…”

“You’re going to the mart?” A lazy voice drawled. “I’ll come too. I’m hungry.”

“Murasakibara-kun,” Kuroko greeted.

“Great.” Aomine whipped out his phone. “Akashi won’t come, but I’ll text Midorima and Satsuki. May as well make this a party.”

“A party?” Murasakibara asked. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, just – Kise getting into first string and stuff.”

“Kise-chin? Eh? But why’s that a reason to celebrate?”

“You’re getting free food, aren’t you? Just shut up and be happy.”

“Free? You mean Mine-chin’s treating?”

“Hell no,” Aomine said immediately. He had been planning to treat if it was just Kise. But there was no way he’d pay for the entire group, especially if Murasakibara was involved. That giant’s seemingly insatiable appetite would surely put a hole in his wallet.

“Kise can treat. It’s his party after all,” Aomine said, thinking quickly.

“Does Kise-kun know about this?” the ever-thoughtful Kuroko asked.

“Nah, but he probably has tons of spare cash from all that modeling he does.”

Roping Kise into coming hadn’t been all that hard – given that Aomine slung his arm around the blonde’s neck and stayed like that even as they walked, regardless of the weird stare Kuroko directed his way – and the good-natured blonde had eventually agreed to pay, after some whining.

Thereafter, that too, became a frequent occurrence. It was rarely ever just Aomine and Kise, since Kuroko was usually with them as well. Satsuki sometimes tagged along with Kuroko, and Murasakibara would join on occasion, as would Midorima, the latter acting like it was a complete coincidence that they had landed up in the same place and that he gained no satisfaction from hanging out with his teammates outside of practice.

Aomine found that he enjoyed Kise’s company, and the fact that he now saw him multiple times a day – during lunch, where the first-string often sat together, at practice, after practice – meant that he had more excuses to talk to him, and just generally mess around with him.

And Kise proved to be a very fun person to talk to (though sometimes Aomine pretended to ignore him just to see him pout and whine and sulk; he wasn’t sadistic, it’s just that Kise was too entertaining, and though Aomine would never admit it, way cuter than any teenage boy had the right to be) and an even more fun person to tease.

Slowly, steadily, they grew closer, though their relationship perpetually fluctuated between playful teasing and roughhousing.

And if any of the team members found it weird how Aomine was perpetually hanging on to Kise – an arm around his shoulder, mussing up his silky hair, punching him for absolutely no reason, chucking basketballs at his head when he fawned over Kuroko or paid too much attention to another member – or how Kise, despite his verbal objections and whining didn’t seem to mind the physical contact, none of them said anything about it.

There was a palpable mutual fascination between the two boys. Though Aomine played his off as a desire to rib and make fun of Kise, Kise was more open in his admiration. Aomine always found reasons to touch him, make fun of him, bicker with him, and Kise was always greeting him with shiny eyes and a breathless ‘Aominecchi~’.

Kise was also ridiculously fond of Kuroko, though the latter was mostly rather blasé about the whole thing. Aomine didn’t mind. Kuroko was one of his closest friends, and he liked nothing more than when his friends got along. Though perhaps sometimes – though he’d never admit it – Kise’s blatant gushing over ‘Kurokocchi~’ could get a bit annoying. It usually ended in Aomine yanking Kise away under the pretext of sticking up for Kuroko or - his personal favorite method - a basketball to the blonde's head. 

Not that Aomine wanted Kise to gush over him instead. It just seemed like Kise’s attitude towards Kuroko was lighter, almost flirtatious. Aomine had eventually noticed that Kise practically flirted with everyone and everything, but he seemed ridiculously fond of Kuroko, or at least extremely theatrical in his demonstration of said fondness.

Not that Aomine cared. He had no reason to.

* * *

 

The first match-up with Haizaki left Kise on the floor, trembling. The rest of the team – on Akashi’s word – left him alone, but Kuroko and Aomine walked up to him nonetheless.

“Kise-kun,” Kuroko said softly.

Kise looked up, golden eyes wide. “Kurokocchi… I – ”

“You were really good,” Aomine said gruffly, offering Kise a hand and pulling him up to his feet. “Haizaki’s an asshole, but his skill level is pretty high.”

“Aominecchi…” Kise’s lip trembled. Kuroko had either vanished, masked his presence, or disappeared in the two seconds during which Aomine had pulled Kise up.

Kise looked like he was about to cry, and Aomine didn’t understand the painful way his stomach clenched as he took in that pitiful expression and those watery eyes.

_Don’t cry,_ he wanted to say. Another part of him wanted to punch them both – Haizaki, and that stupid brown-haired skank – for hurting Kise, for making him look so sad, so anguished.

He hadn’t even known that Kise was dating anyone. Kise was always surrounded by girls, but Aomine hadn’t actually thought he’d been serious about a single one.

Aomine reached out, gripping Kise’s shoulders.  

“Look any girl who picks Haizaki over you is clearly not thinking straight. She wasn’t even that pretty.”

“…huh?” Kise stared at him.

“You could probably get any girl you wanted,” Aomine continued, breaking away from Kise’s golden gaze, feeling a bit awkward. These kinds of talks really weren’t his thing, but Satsuki was nowhere in sight, and somebody had to say it. “If anything, it’s good that you weeded out stupid sluts like her. You’re way too good for them both.”

Kise laughed softly, and Aomine raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Aominecchi… is this the first time you’ve tried to help someone get over a breakup?”

“What do you mean?” Aomine demanded, punching Kise’s shoulder as he continued to laugh. “Oi, Kise you idiot. I’m trying to be nice! Why are you laughing?!"

“Thank you, Aominecchi.” Kise grinned at him, and suddenly, the world felt like it was alright again. “But I’m not actually upset about that.”

“Huh? You’re not?” Aomine released him.

Kise shrugged. “We weren’t exactly dating. It was more of her clinging on to me and proclaiming that I was her boyfriend. Eventually, brushing her off and denying it to everyone became too much of a hassle, and I was too busy with practice and hanging out with you guys that I never actually saw her anyways. She was just using my name as a status symbol, so she could flaunt that she was dating a model.”

“Oh.” Aomine was slightly relieved. He didn’t know why, but a potentially heartbroken Kise made him feel a lot more uncomfortable than a beaten, ego-battered Kise. “Okay. Well. That’s good.”

_What the fuck did I just go babbling all that crap about Kise being too good for? He’s never going to let me hear the end of this_

“But, nonetheless I’m glad to know Aominecchi has such high standards of me.” Kise winked at him, eyes twinkling.

“Shut up, moron.” Aomine punched his shoulder again. “Don’t let this get to your head.”

“I can get any girl I want, huh? So much faith, Aominecchi.”

Aomine desperately wanted to sock him right in his beautiful, laughing face.

“Oi, stop it, I just said that shit to cheer you up! You’re not allowed to quote me about this!”

“So you don’t actually believe it?” Kise’s lip trembled, his eyes going watery again. “That compared to Haizaki – I – ”  

Aomine’s voice softened. “No! I mean, no, I’m not saying I don’t I just – oi, Kise! You bastard!”

Aomine did actually sock him on the head this time, given that Kise had stopped sulking only to burst into laughter again. His sad puppy-dog act had been scarily convincing. Aomine made sure to keep that in mind for future reference. He couldn’t have Kise using fake sadness it as a weapon against him.

“That hurt,” Kise pouted, and Aomine glared at him.

“Save your pouting for the cameras, moron.”

“But Aominecchi was fooled.”

“First and last time. Baka.”

“Heh heh.”

“Stop antagonizing the person trying to cheer you up!”

“I am cheered up,” Kise said, tilting his head and smiling again, his cheeks dimpling. “Thanks Aominecchi!”

“Good. You’re more annoying sad than happy.”

“Ehh? What does that mean?”

“Nothing. Tell me if you want Haizaki’s jaw broken or something.”

Kise’s eyes widened. “But Aominecchi, that’s wrong –”

“I’m joking, geez,” Aomine rolled his eyes, cuffing Kise’s neck.

“Good. I wouldn’t want you turning to the dark side for me.”

“Tch. What the fuck? Punching one idiot isn’t the same as turning to the dark side. You watch too much Hollywood crap…”

“Still, punching people is wrong.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that, blockhead.” Aomine slung an arm around Kise’s shoulder as they began walking out. “It’s not like I’m pro-violence or anything.”

“Could have fooled me. You do look vaguely gangster…”

“I’m sorry not everyone can be as flawless as you, pretty boy.”

“So many compliments in one day, Aominecchi?” Kise laughed. “I’m flattered.”

“Shut up. Anyways. Beating people up. Those are his methods. Things like this need to be settled on court.”

“Yeah but…”

“Next time you face him, Kise, you’ll destroy him.”

“Ah – ”

I’ll make sure of that, Aomine vowed. Kuroko might be Kise’s mentor, and it wasn’t likely that Kise would think of challenging Aomine himself to a one-on-one soon giving his rather humiliating defeat at Haizaki’s hands. But Aomine knew that the fastest way for Kise to improve was if he played Aomine himself.

_Plus, if it’s him, I might actually enjoy myself more than usual._

****  


* * *

 

Aomine trudged along the hallways, hands jammed in his pockets.

He’d fallen asleep in class - not the first time - which would have gotten him an earful from their teacher, if Momoi hadn’t jumped in wide-eyed and apologetic on Aomine’s behalf, saying that he hadn’t slept properly the previous night because he had been sick.

The class had teased her for this but the teacher was taken in by her charm (Momoi was quite the teacher's pet) and had generously allowed Aomine to take the period off to visit the nurse.

He had sauntered out of the classroom, smirking at Momoi, who’s responding glare promised that he’d be in for an earful. He could practically hear the shrill lecture in his head: _I can’t be expected to cover for you every time Dai-chan, the only reason I did was because you can’t afford to get suspended from the basketball team for something stupid like sleeping through class!_

Aomine headed out in the general direction of the basketball courts, passing the classrooms, pausing at Kise’s. He picked out his golden head immediately at the back of the classroom. Kise’s chin was resting on his hand and he was staring out of the window.

Murasakibara was on the bench next to him, a box of pocky hidden under the table. Each time the teacher turned to the board, the purple giant would eat a piece.

_Typical,_ Aomine thought.

He was slightly surprised when, as if on cue, Kise turned slightly and Murasakibara snuck him a stick of pocky. Kise beamed at him, and Aomine narrowed his eyes.

_It’s not like him to share his food. I didn’t know they were close. I guess it’s a given, they’re on the same basketball team and in the same class._

He wondered what it would have been to be in the same class as Kise. That way he’d see him all day long, rather than just during breaks and at practice. They would have gym class together and could play more one-on-ones. And during other classes, they could sit and get bored together. Or get kicked out of class together.

The latter gave him an idea, and impulsively, Aomine stepped into Kise’s classroom.

“Yes?” the teacher asked, as twenty pairs of eyes - including Kise’s - fell on Aomine.

“So… the principal wants to see Kise,” Aomine said, hesitating slightly.

_This was a stupid idea, it’s never going to work._

“Me?” Kise asked, golden eyes widening.

“Yes, you,” Aomine said impatiently, biting back the 'dumbass'. “You’re Kise, aren’t you?”

“Am I in trouble?!”

“How would I know?”

“But what did I even do to- ”

“I don’t know.” Aomine glared at him. Why was Kise making his deception harder? “I was just told to get you.”

The teacher shrugged, letting it go easily enough. “Alright, then.”

Chair legs scraped the floor as Kise eventually stood up and sighed. He walked out of class towards Aomine, leaving a bunch of whimpering and sulking females in his wake.

“Bye, Kise-kun.”

“I hope you’re not in trouble, Kise-kun.”

“Come back soon, Kise-kun.”

“We’re waiting for you, Kise-kun.”

_This is fucking ridiculous,_ Aomine thought. _It’s not like he’s leaving school, why are they making such a big fuss out of something so stupid?_

****When Kise finally stepped out into the hallway, Aomine grabbed his wrist, dragging him off.

“What am I in trouble for?” Kise demanded. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Shut up.”

“Besides, why would the principal send _you_ ー”

Aomine didn’t answer, and Kise allowed himself to get dragged, whining and pouting the entire time while Aomine watched him from the corner of his eye, slightly amused.

“I haven’t done anything. I bet it’s that stupid Haizaki. He must have framed me. Or did I fail something? No, I wouldn’t fail, I’m not that dumb. Where are we even going, the principal’s office is that way.”

They landed up on the courts, and Aomine tossed a ball at him. Kise caught it with his sharp reflexes, but looked bewildered.

“Aominecchi, what - ”

“You’re such an idiot,” Aomine told him.

“Why are we here?”

“Why does it look like we’re here?”

“But what about the principal, doesn’t he want to see me?”

Aomine snorted. “You think he’d send me if he did?”

“That’s what I said!”

“I made it up, moron.”

“What? Why?” Kise stared at him incredulously.

“To get you out of class.”

“But why?”

Aomine rolled his eyes. “I was bored. I wanted to play basketball. Figured you were bored and would want to as well. You should be thanking me.”

“So we’re just skipping class to play basketball?!”

“Well no, right now we’re just skipping class to listen to you being dumb, which is a waste of my time, to be honest, I’ll go to sleep if - ”

“No!” Kise lips curved upwards, his golden eyes sparkling. “This is great. Playing basketball with Aominecchi is so much more fun than any class!”

“You’re welcome.”

 

* * *

After that it became somewhat of a habit - them skiving off classes together. They did it only occasionally, so as not to make it too obvious. Momoi would shoot Aomine a dirty look each time he did it. She knew - of course - that he would always be accompanied by Kise, even if she didn’t see them together herself. Fortunately, she refrained from commenting.

And the couple of times they did get caught, well - Kise could turn on his charm to dazzle and smile his way out of trouble with any female teachers quite effectively. Aomine was vaguely amused watching him. With male teachers it was harder: more subtle acting was required, but Kise managed it well enough. So they never really got into serious trouble.

* * *

 

“Kise-kun?”

The Generation of Miracles (minus Akashi and Midorima who were at a meeting with the coach) looked up from their lunch table.

A tall boy was standing there; Aomine vaguely recognized him as the third-year captain of the volleyball team.

“Can I help you?”

“Ah, just –” the boy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well, me and the guys at the volleyball team heard about you. The serial player, joining all the teams and quitting. We have a tournament coming up so I was wondering if you’d – ”

“Oh, I’m not doing that anymore,” Kise said quickly, waving his hand. “I think I’ve finally found a team that I’d like to stick with.”

“Oh.” The boy’s shoulders deflated slightly. “Well – well, that’s good for you. Let me know if you want to play a game or hang out with us some time.”

“Kise-kun is really popular, aren’t you?” Kuroko commented once the boy had left.

“Ehh, it’s nothing like that!”

“It’s true,” Murasakibara piped up. “Kise-chin gets at least three proposals each week during homeroom from all the girls. It’s funny watching him turn them all down.”

“That’s not a nice thing to say,” Kuroko chastised.

“Ehh, but it must be so annoying for Kise-chin to deal with that. And there are always guys asking him to eat lunch with them and offering to share their bentos, ne, Kise-chin?”

“Ah, it’s not so bad,” Kise said quickly. “Besides, I prefer eating lunch at this table with you guys – ”

“But you should at least go with them for the free food, Kise-chin,” Murasakibara stressed. “The chocolates and bentos. And then give it to me if you don’t want it.”

“That popular, huh,” Aomine muttered to himself.

It wasn’t a secret that Kise had a fan following everywhere he went. Even in the basketball club, where Aomine was the Ace and considered the coolest, there were a lot of kids who harbored an obvious fascination for Kise, watching him whenever he showed up to practice. The Generation of Miracles were probably the only ones who treated him normally.

_Must be annoying to have people running after him all the time like that,_ Aomine thought for a moment, before realizing with a shock, that for the last month or so, he himself had been waltzing into Kise’s classroom and dragging him off for basketball practice.

_No. I’m not the same. I’m not like that. Besides, Kise practically worships me._

This was true. At least with Aomine and Kise, the two seemed to harbor, in Akashi’s words, ‘a mutual fascination for one another’.

Still, Aomine did not for a second want to be considered one of those people who chased Kise around. If anything, the opposite held true.

_He better not think even for a second that I’m anything like his stupid fanboys. He has to be the one running after me._

If Momoi could read Aomine’s thoughts, she would have told him he was playing hard to get. But Aomine had made his mind – he could definitely pull off the cool, I-don’t-give-a-fuck act. It would be fun letting Kise run after him.

And just as Aomine suspected, Kise did. A couple days after Aomine stopped dragging Kise out during break for extra practice, Kise started showing up at Aomine’s class, dazzling smiles and sparkles, and begging to play. 

* * *

 

The rest of the year was fun enough, even outside of basketball and their consecutive victories and unblemished festivals. There were a few - interesting, to say the least - festivals.

If Aomine had felt a slight thrill at the idea of being tied to Kise during the three-legged race, he covered it up by feigning annoyance when it was first proposed the two be paired together.

And if he had felt weirdly shy in that stupid frilly dress that Satsuki and Kise had somehow coerced him into wearing (Kise got to wear a tuxedo; it was unfair, and the blonde had looked unfairly attractive in it, moreso than usual) he made up for his blushing by hurling twice as many insults at Kise, who was cracking up the whole time and shamelessly fake-flirting with him.

_"Nee, Aominecchi, I think the dress looks sexy on you~"_ __

_"Do you want to die?!"_ __

_"Mm, okay, only if I get a date with you first, sweetheart~"_  

That part had done funny things to Aomine's chest and stomach, though he had no idea why and hadn't dwelled on it. 

_"Stop messing around, moron!"_

And so, the year went by.

 

* * *

 

Exams soon neared, and Akashi - concerned about the grades of Kuroko, Aomine and Kise - insisted on tutoring sessions. Aomine and Kise tied for having the worst grades in the Generation of Miracles - not because they were unintelligent, but rather because neither had ever bothered to pick up a textbook - though Kuroko’s weren’t particularly high either.

“Why don’t you just use your copy skill on what’s written in the textbooks?” Aomine asked Kise.

Kise shrugged. “I guess I could. But that would require actually reading them. Too much effort, don’t you think?”

“You’re right. One-on-one?” 

“I thought you’d never ask!” Kise beamed.

“Not so fast,” Akashi broke in, crossing his arms. “There will be no time for one-on-ones given the exam preparation schedule I have prepared for you two the next week.”

Kise and Aomine exchanged a horrified glance. “Exam preparation schedule?!”

 

* * *

 

They split up into two groups: the first day, Akashi and a flustered Momoi tutored Kuroko, while Midorima and Murasakibara were in charge of Kise and Aomine.

The latter was a disaster, with Aomine and Kise fooling around the entire time, much to Midorima’s growing frustration. Whenever he tried to teach them, they paired up to poke fun at him:

_"Sensei, explain that bit about the reproductive cycle again, I didn’t understand it."_

_"Aominecchi’s terrible. But yes, sensei, do explain, and in detail this time!"_

_"Stop messing around both of you!"_  

_"But sensei we’re just trying to learn."_  

_"Awww, how cute, is Midorimacchi sensei embarrassed to talk about se-"_  

_"Murasakibara, tell them something!"_  

_"Haah? But Mido-chin’s the one teaching biology, not me..."_  

When it was Murasakibara’s turn, they effectively convinced him to let them take ‘food breaks’ to ‘replenish their energy’. Finally, Kise bribed him with pocky, and when he was occupied, the pair of them managed to escape their teaching duo altogether to shoot hoops outside. 

Murasakibara took a nap, and Midorima fumed self-righteously, as Aomine and Kise high-fived, having escaped their prison. 

Midorima must have tattled to Akashi, because the next day, the leader himself arrived.

“I’m splitting you two up,” he announced. 

“Why?” Aomine demanded.

“Ehhhh, Akashicchi don’t do thaaaat,” Kise pouted. 

“You are both distracting one another. You can’t be left together, it’s counterproductive. Daiki, come with me. Ryouta, stop trying to emulate a dying puppy.”

Aomine and Kise exchanged a horrified look as they were torn apart by the will of one Akashi Seijurou.

Aomine spent the rest of his forced study session in relative peace, learning under Akashi and Satsuki for a day. The next day, they switched, with Midorima and Murasakibara teaching him and Kuroko.

 

* * *

 

When the exam results came out, they had all managed to pass (Kise actually had ridiculously high scores, which led Aomine to believe that he wasn't as stupid as he acted), which meant that there was no need for summer school, and the entire Generation of Miracles embarked on their training camp.

The less said about this camp the better. Even though Akashi was a relatively strict disciplinarian, Kise and Aomine had managed to prank Midorima and left him scarred for life - or at least for the better part of the week that he was stuck with them in the mountains. And Kuroko might have accidentally terrified all of them (except for Akashi) the night after Kise told some stupid ghost story about the site being haunted, but again, the less said, the better.

The camp was followed by more basketball, and naps, and lounging around in bedrooms snacking on pizza and paying on the playstation. That was when Kise slept over at Aomine’s for the first time.

They played video games for most of it, and then fell asleep watching a movie, Kise nodding off on Aomine’s shoulder.

When Aomine woke up in the morning, Kise was snuggled into his side, one arm around Aomine’s waist.

Shocked, his heart racing erratically, Aomine shoved Kise off, and ended up socking him in the face as he tried to yank his arm out from under where Kise’s head was using it as a pillow.

Kise whined for ten whole minutes.

_"You bruised my face, Aominecchi, do you know how much make-up they’ll need to cover this up?"_  

_"If you don't want to be punched then don't be so goddamn clingy."_  

_"I didn’t mean to, you know I get cuddly at night! Besides, weren’t you supposed to sleep on the futon!'"_  

_"It’s my house. You can take the damn futon."_

_"But I’m the guest, and you said I could have it, it’s your stupid fault for falling asleep on the bed in the first place."_ __

_"...it’s a double bed, what’s the big deal?"_ __

_"The big deal is you punched me in the face like I was - I don’t know, molesting you or something!"_ __

_"You were hugging me in your sleep!"_ __

_"I do that to everyone, I didn’t mean anything by it! Aominecchi’s so cold…"_ __

_"I know you do, couldn’t keep your hands off of Tetsu during that camp could you…"_

_"Huh? Sorry, did you say something? I couldn’t hear."_ __

_"Nothing. What do you want for breakfast?"_

_"I’m not hungry!"_ __

_"Why the heck not?"_ __

_"Aominecchi’s meanness has ruined my appetite."_ __

_"Will you shut up your whining already!"_  

_"See! Meeean!"_  

_"Die, Kise!"_

And despite the scuffles and fights, the sleepovers became a bi-weekly thing, over the break. As did the bed-sharing, but neither of them mentioned it. Aomine became used to waking up with the not entirely unpleasant feeling of Kise burrowed into his side, and the smell of whatever girly shampoo or soap the blonde insisted on using.

* * *

 

“What do you and Ki-chan even do at your sleepovers?” Momoi once asked.

“Oh you know. Guy shit.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing special. Just. Video games. We marathon basketball seasons sometimes. Guy shit.”

* * *

 

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Mud pack.”

“Why?”

“It’s good for my skin.”

“You look fucking ridiculous.”

Kise shot him a baleful look, golden eyes conveying that he was not impressed by Aomine’s picky comments despite the fact that he had green guck plastered all over his face, his silky blonde hair held up with ridiculous girly hair clips.

“Aominecchi should do it too.”

“Like hell. I don’t want that shit on my face.”

“But it’s good for you - ”

“What are you, a woman?!”

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, Aomine was slouched next to Kise on the bed, eyeing his reflection in the mirror.

“You didn’t spread it evenly,” he finally said.

“I did.” Kise looked affronted at the accusation.

“We look like a pair of clowns.”

Kise smiled at this, before quickly sobering his expression. “I told you, don’t make me smile, Aominecchi, it’ll - ”

“Crack the mud, yeah, yeah…” Aomine rolled his eyes.

The stuff on his face had an oddly pleasant effect, cooling and tingling. It had felt even better when Kise had first applied it for him, his soft fingers moving across Aomine’s cheeks, pushing hair out of his forehead - Kise had pinned it up with a yellow butterfly clip despite Aomine’s protests.

“What are you doing?” Aomine demanded, when Kise pulled out his phone and switched to front-camera mode.

Kise mashed their cheeks together and winked at the camera - somehow pulling it off despite his ridiculous appearance - and made a peace sign.

“Smile, Aominecchi~”

“What, no - ”

Kise took a bunch of selfies. Aomine had a slight smile in some of them. In the others, he was just glaring and trying to look sullen, while Kise dazzled through his face mask.

“I’ll send them to you~” Kise offered.

“I never said I wanted them!” Aomine retorted, but when he received them, he saved them nonetheless.

He’d die before he admitted it to Kise, but on some days - when Kise wasn’t around - he’d open his phone and scroll through them.

* * *

 

“Ki-chan sent me selfies from your last sleepover,” Momoi said, her grin positively evil. “It seems you guys are having a lot of fun doing your ‘guy shit’”

Aomine slapped his forehead. “I’m going to kill that moron.”

“Don’t worry Dai-chan,” Momoi said sweetly, patting him on the shoulder. “I know you like your manly man image. I won’t tell anyone. Except maybe Tetsu-kun~”

“What the hell, Satsuki?!”

* * *

 

“Aomine-kun, your face is looking different today.”

“Huh, what do you mean?”

“It’s your skin. It seems healthier. Fresher.” Kuroko struggled to keep his mask of indifference, but there was a smile tugging at his lips.

“I’m going to kill Satsuki and Kise, both! Especially Kise! What an idiot,” Aomine growled.

* * *

 

On the first day of their senior year at middle school, Aomine raced up to the bulletin boards where the class lists were posted. Momoi ran after him, shouting, but he didn’t bother waiting.

A crowd was swarmed around the board, and it was hard to get in front and read the lists. Momoi managed to sneak her way through before he did, and emerged, beaming at him.

“I’m with Tetsu-kun!” she squealed giddily, as if she were announcing her engagement.

“Good for you,” Aomine said impatiently. “What about me?”

“You should go look for yourself,” Momoi said snootily, and Aomine glared at her.

“Satsuki.”

“I don’t know, you aren’t in _my_ class this year,” Momoi said innocently, before frowning. “What will we do about your notes, you definitely will be too distracted to take any and I’m not even there to nag you…”

“It doesn’t matter, not like I took any even with your nagging,” Aomine said, squinting his eyes and trying to read the small text. “Are you sure you didn’t see my name anywhere?”

Momoi gave him a weird, knowing smile, before turning red. “Tetsu-kun!” she cried. “Tetsu-kun, we’re in the same class this year!”

Seeing that Momoi was no longer willing to continue a conversation with him, Aomine shoved himself through the crowd.

The first class had Momoi and Kuroko. He scanned the second list. Nobody he particularly cared about. The third. Akashi, Midorima, Murasakibara.

Aomine’s heart hammered in his chest.

He hadn’t read his name yet. But he also hadn’t read Kise’s, which could only mean -

'3-D. Aomine Daiki.'

There was his. Aomine glanced up and down the list, finally hitting the familiar kanji.

'Kise Ryouta.'

He grinned widely, before frowning a moment later.

_Why the fuck am I getting so happy about being assigned to the same class as him? It’s just a class, it doesn’t matter._

But it meant that Aomine would see Kise every morning at homeroom, and during every class throughout the day. They could sit together, they could…

“Aominecchi~!”

Speak, or rather think of the devil. Kise had appeared by his side, and was glancing over the lists.

“3D,” Aomine supplied. “You’re with me.”

“Really?” A grin spread across Kise’s face, and it made Aomine even more stupidly happy to see that Kise was as excited as he was.

“Yeah.” Aomine shrugged, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. As it really shouldn’t have been.

“Nee, I can’t believe I’m in the same class as Aominecchi~ this year already seems more fun!”

Aomine couldn’t help but smile at that.

Just as he couldn’t help but smile when they walked into the class together, and all the girls flocked to Kise, cooing and begging that he sit with them - but Kise refused them all, shaking his head and proclaiming “I want to sit with Aominecchi~” and plopped his bag on the desk next to Aomine’s.

Aomine made a show of rolling his eyes and shoving him away (“Ouch!” Kise whined, before pouting, “Aominecchi’s so mean, do you not want to sit with me?”) but as the teacher walked into the classroom, Aomine grabbed Kise by his collar and sat him down, hooking his foot around Kise’s chair and pulling it just a bit closer as he did.

Kise beamed at him.

* * *

 

Classes with Kise - or at least the parts which he managed to stay awake for - were more entertaining than last year's classes, at the very least.

The pair had been kicked out of class a few times for their antics, and would have certainly been separated had it not been for Kise’s puppy dog face and his the apparent inability of any teacher, regardless of gender, to resist his charm. Not that Kise discriminated who he turned his charm on for anyways.

In fact, the routine they fell into: classes, occasionally skiving off and getting in some basketball practice or splitting ice pops on the rooftop (usually accompanied by Kuroko, who was the pro at entering and leaving his classes unnoticed by all but Satsuki, who later gave Aomine and Kise an earful about how they were a bad influence of the boy), lunch with the rest of the Generation of Miracles, basketball practice, one-on-ones, heading to the convenience store after the school… it was all part of a comfortable and enjoyable routine, one that Aomine hoped would never change. 

But it did change. 

Basketball was slowly getting more and more frustrating, as Aomine’s skill level skyrocketed. His opponents - other than Kise - lagged further and further behind. Each victory grew less sweet and more bitter. Eventually, he began skiving off of practices once in awhile, ignoring both Satsuki and Kuroko’s pleas for him to come back.

_What’s the point?_ he had asked them. 

He always met up with Kise though, to play one-on-one, every single day. He never ditched those sessions, and he knew that Kise knew and appreciated it, though the blonde didn't say anything.  

_One more, Aominecchi,_ he'd gasp, out of breath, after losing a match, each time, again and again.  

Sometimes Kise would seem to exhausted to continue (he had practice, and shoots, after all - time which Aomine usually spent napping) but if he saw that Aomine wasn't as exhausted as he was, Kise would still insist on playing more.  

Aomine wondered whether Kise was doing it for himself, or for him. Did Kise realize that one-on-one's with the blonde were the only part of the day Aomine really looked forward to in terms of basketball, the only time he could go all-out and fully enjoy the game?  

Perhaps he had, and perhaps that was a part of the reason behind his relentless pleas for one-on-ones. Aomine never thanked him, but was secretly grateful.  

But even daily one-on-one's with Kise weren't enough to quell the weird sinking feeling in his chest that he got lately, whenever he thought of basketball - which was often.  

Basketball had always been a way for Aomine to connect with people. And now, from the looks of it, other than a select few, it was what was driving him away from everyone that struggled and failed and eventually gave up on keeping up.

 

* * *

 

Kise began ditching their after-practice ice cream sessions as his modelling career began picking up and his shoot schedules grew tighter. He’d still play one-on-ones with Aomine, but would disappear immediately after, apologizing profusely and saying that his manager would yell at him if he was late.

One day, he skipped school altogether. After first period, Aomine texted him from under his desk.

**are you sick or something?**

Kise’s reply was instantaneous.

**Aww, Aominecchi’s worried about me? (o･ω･o) I’m not, I just overslept because I was out late last night so decided to skip school~**

**so are you coming for practice?**

**I’m not sure yet. I might. Even if I do, don’t wait up for me after, I can’t stay m(_ _)m**

 

* * *

 

Kise didn’t show up for practice, and after the first ten minutes, Aomine retired to the locker room to take a short nap. Satsuki would nag his ears off if she saw him leaving practice early for the second time that week and there was a chance the blonde would show up later.

Aomine sighed, lying down on the bench behind the lockers. He chose the bench in the second-stringer’s side of the locker room as his napping spot, because that way he wouldn’t be disturbed. That bunch either worshipped him or was terrified of him, so they’d let him sleep in peace. On the other hand, if either Akashi or Midorima were to find him napping during practice, they’d order him to come back or bitch at him respectively.

Sleeping was something that came as easily and naturally to him as basketball, and in a few moments, Aomine’s eyes fluttered shut.

 

* * *

 

When he woke up, the locker room was empty, just as it had been before. Aomine checked his watch.

It was 5:15 pm. Practice had ended fifteen minutes ago.

_Damn, I slept through the whole thing,_ Aomine thought, rubbing his eyes. He wondered whether Kise had bothered to show up or not. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have thought to search for Aomine in the second-string’s part of the locker room, which wasn’t even visible from the part that the Generation of Miracles used, unless one went and peered through the lockers deliberately.

Aomine checked his phone, and as expected, there were a bunch of missed calls and messages from Satsuki demanding to know where he was.

Nothing from Kise, though.

_Maybe he didn’t come after all._

Aomine stood up, retying his shoelaces and gathering his stuff. He may as well go home.

Just as he was about to leave, footsteps and voices filled the locker room.

“Ah – Mai-chan, you really shouldn’t come in here. It’s the boy’s locker room.”

It was Kise’s voice.

_So he did come after all! Why didn’t he text me? And what’s he staying after for, not like I was there to play one-on-one with him._

“But Kise-kun, I need to talk to you about what I said before!”

A girl’s voice, high-pitched and slightly tearful. Aomine jolted upright, narrowing his eyes.

_Kise, that idiot! What was he thinking bring a girl to the locker room! If Akashi finds him, he’s dead._

“Don’t worry about that, Mai-chan, I don’t think badly of you or anything – ”

“No you don’t understand! It’s my – it’s our last chance!”

Aomine was about to make his presence known – but then his curiosity was piqued. The two were arguing about something and the girl seemed ready to cry.

Was she his girlfriend?

_When the hell did he even get a girlfriend?! I didn’t know about this._

For the time being, Aomine decided to remain quiet. The locker room was basically split into two, by a long row of lockers. Kise was on the side occupied by the Generation of Miracles. Aomine was on the other.  

Kise wouldn’t come to this side, or even bother looking. He wouldn’t find Aomine or know he was listening. Aomine crept towards the gap in the lockers so he could get a better view; he wasn’t really afraid of being caught by Kise; there was no way Kise would randomly decide to peer through the row of lockers, and as long as Aomine didn’t make any loud sounds, Kise wouldn’t have a clue he was even there.

Aomine snickered mentally. He wasn’t even slightly ashamed for spying on Kise and his maybe-girlfriend. No way, this would prove to be excellent blackmail material later, something he could tease Kise with. Kise was sure to use some lame pickup line or something (delivered smoothly in a way that would make the girl shaky in the knees no doubt, but lame pickup lines were still lame pickup lines) and Aomine was not about to let such an opportunity to obtain blackmail slip. Or that’s how he convinced himself because he was not at all curious about Kise and his girlfriend.

“That’s not true.”

“It is true! Once I debut officially as an idol, I’m not even allowed to date guys, forget anything more than that!”

“I’m sure there’s a way in which they wouldn’t find out if you were involved with someone - ”

“You know how much papparazzi follows us around already?! It’ll be ten times as much, in a few months. You’ve seen how ruthless the papers are in outing idols, the scandals - ”

“But - ”

“My contract explicitly states that I’m not allowed to be involved in any kind of relationship once I sign it!”

“I’m sure in a few years once you become famous enough to survive without them, they’ll loosen their hold on you. You’ll be able to get any guy you want and then - ”

“But what about you?” the girl’s voice had cracked. “I - I really - _really_ \- like you, Kise-kun, and I always thought our first time would be together - ”

She dissolved into sobs.

“Maicchi… I… I like you too. You know that, right?”

Kise’s voice was softer, gentler than Aomine had ever heard, and for some reason, hearing it - even though it wasn’t directed at him - gave Aomine a strange feeling in his stomach. Overwhelmed by curiosity, he slid across the bench so that he could peek between the gap in the lockers.

Kise wouldn’t be able to see him - not unless he walked up to the lockers and peered through deliberately - but Aomine was afforded a rather good view of Kise and this ‘Mai-chan/Maicchi’, who apparently was his girlfriend? Kise had given her the nickname after all, the one he reserved for people he liked and respected. Aomine hadn’t kept track of Kise and his girlfriends, though he had to admit that the brunette was extremely attractive.

Shapely legs under a school uniform that was way too short to be considered a proper skirt, bustier than Momoi… even if Aomine wasn’t really into girls (basketball took up all his time and energy), he could still notice and appreciate. 

The girl had dark brown hair that tumbled over her shoulders. She was basically pressing against Kise, who was holding her, his hands resting lightly on her hips. They made a pretty picture.

A lump grew in Aomine’s throat at the sight. He didn’t know why. Vaguely, at the back of his mind, he’d known Kise had girlfriends. Kise had never flaunted it, or talked about them, but it was no secret that he was popular with the opposite sex, and Aomine didn't know what he did outside of school and basketball and their sleepovers; when he was at his agency, at model and idol events, and whatever it was that Kise did in his free time. In fact, this was Aomine's first time witnessing Kise so intimate with another girl. 

Kise’s golden eyes were fixed on the girl in his arms, eyelashes lowered slightly.

“If you do, you won’t regret doing this with me.” the girl was saying. “I - I’ll make it good, I swear!”

“Maicchi…” Kise sighed. “I just... we’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you… once you do this, you can’t take it back. I don’t want you to waste it on me because you think you don’t have any time left.”

“I won’t regret it if it’s you!” the girl declared. “I - I really want it to be you, don’t you understand, Kise-kun, I want you - ”

“You just think that right now because it seems like you won’t be able to have me once your contract starts - ”

“I’m not stupid, Kise-kun!” the girl’s eyes were flashing. “Stop putting this on me, if you just aren’t into me or something, say it!”

“That’s not it at all,” Kise said quickly, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles over her hips. “Maicchi, you’re pretty, like _really_ pretty, beautiful actually. I’d be crazy not to want you.”

Aomine didn’t have experience with this kind of thing, but he wasn’t stupid. _And_ he also had Satsuki as a best friend, which meant that even though he tuned out most of her chattering about idols and celebrity scandals, some of it still percolated. He knew a bit about how the idol world in Japan functioned and he had a pretty good idea what Kise and his girlfriend were talking about.

Still, for Kise to so gallantly turn down a proposition for sex when this admittedly attractive girl was practically begging him…

“Then take me,” she said breathlessly. “Take me, right here, and right now.”

“Maicchi, we shouldn’t.”

For a moment, it looked like Kise was yielding, and Aomine was overcome by a sudden urge to rush out into the locker room and interrupt the scene before it could evolve into something… more…

“You’ve always been popular with girls, Kise-kun. Once I’m off the scene, you’ll have hundreds of girls, begging to be with you, and I know you’ll choose one or the other eventually!” 

"I don't - " 

"Mayu, from our agency. Yuko. Rena. Momo. Juri. They were  _all_ talking about how they were just  _waiting_ for you to be single again once my contract starts. And they're all super cute and pretty, and even if you try denying it to my face, you know it's the truth!" 

“Maicchi, I - ”

“Do you know how much it would kill me, seeing you with another girl? How much it would hurt knowing that you were doing things with her that we never got a chance to do?”

The girl was crying openly now, sobs racking her frame, and Kise finally seemed to have relented. He pulled her into his arms, cupping her cheeks with his hands, his thumb wiping her tears away.

“Maicchi, don’t cry, please,” Kise murmured. “I - I’ll do whatever you want me to. Just, please stop crying.”

“K-Kise-kun…” her voice trembled. “I - I feel like I’m manipulating you - ”

“You’re not,” he assured her, stroking her hair. “I’m a guy, I have hormones, you know. I’m just trying to do the right thing.”

“Stop trying to be such a hero.”

Kise laughed softly at that, and then leaned in, and kissed the girl on the lips.

Aomine’s breath caught in his throat as he watched, transfixed, as Kise’s lips moved against hers, in a seemingly perfect rhythm. Aomine had never kissed anyone, had never been kissed, so he had nothing to compare to, but watching Kise just then…

_He looks like he’s doing a really good job. Wow. That must feel really, really good._

It occurred to Aomine that this likely wasn’t the first time Kise was kissing a girl, or even this particular girl either. He didn’t know why, but that thought made him feel weirdly uncomfortable… but also uncomfortably excited at the same time.  

The wet sounds of kissing echoed in the empty room. The girl had started to kiss back, but it seemed to Aomine that Kise was the one in control. He deepened the kiss, his hands moving down her back to rest at her waist. He pushed her back gently, until she her back was pressed against the locker.

_My locker,_ Aomine realized with a jolt, though Kise probably hadn’t noticed.

Kise broke the kiss, and Aomine caught a glimpse of something in his gold eyes: something dark, almost animalistic, and yet, with a hint of tenderness.

“I’ve never done this before, you know.”

“R-really?” the girl seemed a bit shocked. “I thought - I assumed - ”

“You should know me better by now, Maicchi. You’ll be my first.”

“Really?!” she squeaked. "I'm so sorry, Kise-kun! I didn't think this would be your first time! When I asked, I thought you must have already - " 

"It's fine." 

"Are you sure?! Are you sure it's okay?"

“More than okay.” Kise leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. 

"You don't have to - " 

"I want to." Kise leaned in for a kiss again. 

“Th-thank you…” was the breathless reply, once he had pulled away. 

Kise ruffled her hair. “Just tell me if it gets too much and you want me to stop, ‘kay?”

The girl just nodded, her hands - entangled in Kise’s blonde locks - pulling at his hair, trying to pull him back into a kiss.

Kise didn’t oblige though, leaning in slightly to drop one on the tip of her nose, before his lips moved to her jaw. Aomine stared, his eyes tracing the path Kise’s lips took down the girl’s jaw and her slender neck, pressing soft kisses all the way down.

He almost missed the way one of Kise’s hands slipped up the front of the girl’s white shirt - but she gasped - drawing both Aomine and Kise’s attention.

“Maicchi?”

“N-no. It’s fine, sorry,” she murmured, flushing red. "D-don't stop." 

Kise smiled at her then, a dazzling smile.

“Maicchi’s so cute,” he said, kissing her on the cheek, before resuming his previous ministrations.

Aomine couldn’t see his hand - buried up the girl’s top - but Kise’s other hand was at her lower back, pulling her closer to him, grinding their hips together. The pair was kissing again - the locker room full of the wet, slick sounds of their tongues and lips clashing - and then suddenly, there was a slight clicking sound.

The girl gasped again, flushing even darker, and Kise shot her a wicked grin.

“I’ll need you to help me with the rest, Maicchi,” he entreated, and the girl nodded slowly, wide-eyed, as she helped him pull her now-open bra out of her shirt.

Aomine eyed the lacy thing, wondering how the hell Kise had managed to get it off with just one hand - was that even possible? - until Kise flung it halfway across the locker room, before sliding his hands back up her shirt.

Aomine felt a strange heat rush downwards as he realized fully where Kise was about to touch her, and just moments later, the girl whimpered.

“Do you like it?” Kise asked, his voice husky, as he traced the shell of her ear with his tongue.

Whatever he was doing, she seemed to like very much, as she let out a wanton moan and arched into his hands.

Kise smirked at this, before pulling his hands out, and the girl let out another whimper.

“Kise-kuuun.”

“Mm, what is it?”

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing, babe.”

Aomine’s eyes widened as Kise’s fingers moved to the buttons of shirt, flicking them open, one by one.

“Kise-kun - what are you - ”

“Do you not want me to?”

“I - I do - but - but it’s embarrassing!” the girl shrieked.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“C-can’t I keep it on?”

“You could, but there’s something I want to do, and it’ll feel much better if it’s off.”

The tone of his voice - so assured, so confident, so in control  - despite the fact that he was undressing a girl, sent shivers down Aomine’s spine. He knew Kise had a certain charm, a certain magnetism, and he knew that Kise was well aware of it too. However, the blonde chose to act like a complete goofball most of the time, at least in his presence. It was rather unnerving to see him turn on his charms and use them so effectively.

For a brief moment, Aomine envied the girl before nearly hitting himself in the head.

_What the fuck am I thinking?! Why would I want - any of that - from Kise?_

“A-alright,” the girl agreed, before lowering her arms, and letting Kise unbutton the rest of her shirt.

It was a bit pathetic, Aomine realized, that the first time he saw a girl’s breasts would be while spying on Kise undressing his girlfriend.

Kise’s hands slid up the girl’s flat stomach to cup her rather large, and undeniably soft-looking mounds. He was doing something with his fingers - squeezing, kneading - and Aomine had no clue why having one’s chest touched would be so pleasurable, but judging by the keening moans and gasps the girl was making, Kise’s touch felt really, really good.

Maybe girls just had sensitive chests. Aomine wouldn’t know.

His eyes followed Kise’s fingers as they circled around a nipple, before rolling it between two fingers - the girl gasped - and damn, Kise seemed to know what he was doing. Aomine wondered, again, if he’d done something like this before.

_He hasn’t, though. He said it before, that it would be his first time. He wouldn’t lie to her, would he?_

Well, Kise had always been exceptionally talented at doing things for the first time, so it was no surprise that he’d be good at this kind of stuff either.

Still, Aomine couldn’t help but watch in wonder, as the pressure in his pants grew harder and harder.

Those same hands, those same fingers - long, slender, ridiculously soft on one side but covered with calluses on the other - those sames hands and fingers that had expertly handled a basketball every single day, that had performed ridiculous dribbles and shots… were now touching a girl’s naked skin, expertly playing her in a way that she moaned, gasped and begged for more.

Kise dipped his head down then, taking one breast into his mouth, sucking, by the looks of it. The girl was losing herself now, panting and gasping, her face flushed as the back of her head banged against Aomine’s locker.

“Oh god - Kise-kun - please - ahhhhh - please - ”

Aomine didn’t know what she was pleading for, but Kise seemed to get the message, and moved to take her other breast in his mouth, before kissing and licking his way down her stomach. Aomine could see his pink tongue dart out between his lips as he licked and kissed, before swirling it around her bellybutton.

“Ahhh~ Kise-kunnn~”

The girl seemed to be in absolute ecstasy, but Aomine was more focused on Kise’s lips, the way the puckered and sucked, the way his pink tongue darted in and out of his wet lips, the dark, sharp, almost dangerous look in his half-lidded golden eyes.

He felt all the blood rush down to his nether regions, and stared down in shock at the boner that was straining against his pants.

_I’m not. I’m not - getting hard to Kise. It’s the girl - it’s the fact that I’m witnessing something sexual for the first time. It’s not him, it’s not!_

****And yet, Aomine couldn’t tear his eyes away, and felt almost disappointed as Kise pulled his lips away from the above the waistband of her skirt and stood back up.

“Kise-kun, please, I can’t - I can’t wait - ”

“Are you sure? There’s no turning back after this.”

“I’m sure!” the girl grabbed his hand, tugging it down towards her skirt. “Please. Touch - me - ”

Kise moved in to kiss her again - slowly, languidly, lazily almost - and Aomine wondered if he was into the girl as much as she was clearly into him. How else would he be able to keep such self-control? How else would he be able to keep his kiss from being more savage, harsh, violent?

Aomine wondered what it would be like if Kise kissed him. Would the blonde take his time, clearly aware that he was the one doing the seducing, and kiss slowly and smoothly? Or would it be rough, like a battle, their tongues fighting for dominance as they wrestled and pulled at one another’s hair?

_Why the fuck am I even thinking about that?! Kise can kiss her however the fuck he wants, it has nothing to do with me!_

****Kise's hands slid down her back to cup her bottom, and the girl lifted her leg, wrapping it around his thigh, grinding their hips together.

This time, it was Kise who let out a groan - an unimaginably sexy groan that sent shivers right down Aomine’s spine and right to his dick.

“Maicchi… if you do stuff like that I won’t be able to control myself for much longer.”

Kise’s voice was rough, husky - and god, Aomine couldn’t get enough of hearing it, except for in his head, Kise was saying 'Aominecchi' not 'Maicchi'.

Despite what he said, Kise managed to remain in control, his hand sliding up the girl’s skirt and out of Aomine’s sight. Aomine couldn’t see him fondling her down there, but a few moments later, Kise was pulling a pair of lacy underwear - to match the bra - down her legs.

Once he had rid her of the underwear, Kise slid his hands up her skirt again.

_What is he doing?_ Aomine wondered. _If they’re going to have sex, shouldn’t he be taking his own shorts off?_

“Ahhhhh~!!”

Kise smirked as the girl threw her head back against the locker, her voice trembling with need.

“Kise - kun - please - ”

“Do you like that, Maicchi?” he teased, his low, husky, but carrying a hint of playfulness.

“Feels - so - good - ” 

“Mm? Maicchi feels good too,” Kise murmured, leaning in to nibble at her bottom lip. “So soft… and wet…”

Aomine thought he would explode at the kind of sinful, dirty things Kise was saying, and the way Kise managed to pull them off, sounding so good. Not to mention what he was doing to the girl - something Aomine hadn’t even imagined was possible. Almost instinctively, Aomine’s own hand crept towards the bulge in his pants.

“Nnnngh… ahhh~” the girl practically sang, and Aomine could hear the wet sounds of Kise’s fingers sliding in and out of her sex.

He was fingering her. Kise was fingering a girl, and Aomine was getting off on watching it.

“Kise-kun - _please_ \- ”

“What do you want?” Kise asked between kisses. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

“More - Kise - nnnngh - please - ”

“You want me to put another finger in? But Maicchi, you’re already so wet with just one finger…”

“Don’t - don’t tease me - ”

“Okay, sweetheart.” Kise smirked, and probably obliged, given the way the girl moaned. “How does that feel?”

“I can’t - so good - ahhh - too much - ”

“How long have you wanted this, Maicchi?” Kise asked, the wicked smirk widening. “How long have you waited for me to do this to you? To finger you like this?”

“Weeks - ” the girl gasped out. “Months even.”

“That long?”

“Y-yes! _Oh god_ \- Kise-kun~”

“I’m flattered Maicchi likes me so much,” Kise said. “Does it feel good?”

“Ahhh~~ right there~~ _oh_ ~”

“Mm, here? Like that?”

“Kise-kun! Kise - nnnghhh - I can’t - it’s too much - faster - ”

“You’re contradicting yourself, Maicchi,” Kise said, but he leaned down to wrap his mouth over her breast as his fingers continued to work their magic at her sex. One of his hands moved to her hips as he lifted her up slightly against the lockers to give his other hand better access, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding up against him insistently.

“Spread your legs,” was his murmured command, and the girl obliged. “Spread your legs for me. Good girl…”  

Aomine closed his eyes, letting the sounds of Kise’s voice flood through his senses as his own fingers found their way around his throbbing organ, and began pumping.

“You’re so wet… and tight... ”

“Nnnngh - I can’t - I’m coming - I’m - ”

“You’re dripping, Maicchi. So wet for me, so soon? I’ll have to slow down if - ”

“No - _ahh_ \- don’t stop - please - I can’t - any longer - _ahhhh~_ ”

“Come for me?” Kise entreated.

“I - I almost - nnngh - ”

“Look at me, babe.”

“I - can’t - it’s - embarrassing!”

“Please, Maicchi?” he asked softly. “I want to see your face when you come.”

“Kise-kun - I - I - _ahhhhhhhh~~~~!”_

“That’s a good girl… now, come for me?”

Aomine bit his lip as he spilled out into his hand at the sound of Kise’s sinful, husky encouragements, and judging by the way the girl practically screamed, she came as well.

Aomine’s eyes shot back open just to see Kise withdraw his hand and wipe it against his shorts. Kise then tilted his head, shooting the girl a charming smile and wink.

“So, how was that for my first time?”

She didn’t have much to say, but just melted into his arms, and Kise held her there.

“Sorry I got a bit carried away. I didn’t mean to make you come at first, just wanted to get you wet so I could… well, you know. But I guess I could always do it again, if you wanted?”

_No,_ Aomine thought immediately. _Not again, I can’t. I can’t take anymore of this._

****The girl, however, shook her head.

“In a bit. First, I - I want to - ”

“Mm, want to what, Maicchi?”

“I - I want to pay you back, for - for what you did.” She was shaking all over, and seemed really shy.

Aomine didn’t blame her. Kise was - well, Kise. He was intimidating, in a way. His natural, effortless sexiness was just… overwhelming.

_Don’t tell me they’re going for another round._ Aomine wiped his sticky hands on his basketball shorts. He had crossed a line, and was now essentially stuck in here for as long as Kise and his girlfriend stayed.

“Pay me back?” Kise raised an eyebrow, taking the girl’s hands in his own. “What do you mean by that?”

He lifted their joined hands up, pressing his lips to her knuckles, and she blushed prettily, before pulling him over to the bench.

“Sit down, Kise-kun.”

* * *

 

Aomine cursed mentally. The bench was close, but yet not close enough, and angled weirdly. He could see the stain of pink around Kise’s cheeks, the way he bit his lip… but Kise’s bangs hid the rest of his face from Aomine’s view.

Kise was enjoying it though, he could tell, judging by the way those hands clutched at the girl’s hair. It was just a stray thought, but Kise had never pulled on his hair before, not even when they fought (Aomine had yanked the blonde's hair though, much to Kise's chagrin). Aomine wondered, for a moment, what that would be like, having his hair pulled like that.

The angle Kise was sitting at also meant that Aomine was not treated to the sight of Kise’s manhood for the brief moment when the girl took his boxers off, before sliding it into her mouth.

Not that Aomine was interested in seeing Kise’s dick. Not at all. He just wanted proof that his own was bigger, that’s it. 

Aomine felt himself getting hard as he watched the girl give Kise his (first?) blowjob. The wet sound of sucking filled the room, along with Kise’s voice.

He was quiet at first - and Aomine had to strain his ears to hear the soft gasps. But as it went on, his voice grew louder - unbearably sexy moans that once again went straight to Aomine’s dick - and Aomine’s own throbbing grew in intensity as well.

“Ah~ nnngh… fuck - that feels so - so good - mm - don’t stop - ”

Aomine closed his eyes for the second time, and suddenly, Kise was sprawled out naked under him, cheeks flushed, lips swollen, hair in a disarray and golden eyes pleading. Kise's voice filled his ears, except for the words seemed to be directed to  _him_ and not to the girl, at least in Aomine's mind. 

“Fuck - keep going babe - I’m gonna - god damn it - holy fuck - ahhh~”

He came, then. They both did, from the sound of it. Aomine’s heart pounded in his chest so loud that he was scared Kise would hear.

It was unmistakeable this time, what he had thought of. He hadn’t gotten off to the thought of Kise fingering or being sucked off by another girl. He had gotten off to the thought of Kise with himself.

The torture didn’t end there, though. After what sounded like a rather pleasing blowjob (fuck that though, Aomine was sure he could do better), Kise seduced the girl all over again.

When she was dripping wet (Aomine couldn’t see it very well this time around because of their switched positions, but Kise’s dirty-talk didn’t spare much detail) and practically begging, Kise bent her over the bench and drove into her.

Once again, the angle was such that Aomine couldn’t see much - but he could see the way Kise’s abdominals clenched as he bucked his hips. He could see the way the fabric of the white basketball shorts hung loosely off of Kise’s hips - Kise hadn’t taken them off all the way, just enough to get the deed done. He could seen the way Kise’s hands clenched around the girl’s sides, his fingers digging into her skin. He could see the way Kise’s hips undulated, the way his back curved, as he drove into her again and again. He could see how Kise bit his lip at the height of his climax - an action so irresistibly sexy. The way Kise sweetly helped clean his partner up after pulling his own shorts back on, showering her with soft words and kisses.

She was crying, for some reason, but Aomine couldn’t care less. Kise wasn’t crying, and Aomine was too overwhelmed by what had just happened, what it all meant.

He was attracted to Kise. No, attraction was understating it. He was hopelessly lusting after him, he had gotten off to the sound of his voice, he had Kise’s most intimate movements and expressions and caresses imprinted into his memory.

“I - I guess this is it,” the girl was saying, her voice choked. “Th - thank you.”

“Don’t regret, Maicchi. Don’t look back, okay? I’m sure you’ll become a superstar in no time.”

“I - I’ll never forget you… Kise-kun…”

“Come on, sweetheart, I’ll walk you to the station.”

And then they left the locker room, hand-in-hand, and Aomine was overcome by a dark, jealous rage, and urge to rip her away from him.

_What the fuck is wrong with me?_

He walked home that night, feeling ashamed, disgusting... and also weirdly, disturbingly excited.

It was the first night he dreamt of Kise in an explicit, definitely more-than-friends way.

* * *

 

Aomine thought it would fade away, but it only got worse. So many nights, he dreamed of Kise. He dreamed of Kise running his slim fingers over Aomine’s cheeks, his neck, down his chest, golden eyes dark with lust. He dreamed of Kise leaning in, eyes fluttering shut, to kiss him. They kissed softly at first, but it soon grew intense, violent almost, as their tongues clashed, teeth scraping against lips.

He dreamed of Kise touching him, all over, of Kise’s breath hot in his ear, husky voice murmuring sinfully.

_Mm, do you like that, Aominecchi?_ __

_Do you want me to touch you there, Aominecchi?_ __

_Whatever Aominecchi wants, just tell me, I’ll do it._ __

_Wow, Aominecchi, you’re so hard… so hard for me… I can make you harder, you know._

Kise grinned devilishly, his hands tightening around Aomine’s dick as he pumped agonizingly slow, just when Aomine barked at him to go faster.

Because Kise would be a tease, of course he would be a tease, he would be infuriating and do the exact opposite of what Aomine wanted and…

_Mm, Aominecchi, you should learn how to be patient._

Kise’s eyes were glittering, and he was smirking, and Aomine clutched at his blonde hair, pulling.

_Oh yeah, you beat me in one-on-one again today, didn’t you, Aominecchi? I guess that means I owe you one._

Kise winked.

_But Aominecchi’s so big, and hard… I wonder, will it all even fit into my mouth?_

Aomine came to the image of Kise on his knees, face flushed, sucking him off. Later that night, his thoughts strayed again, and this time, Kise wasn’t the one being held to the floor, but the one pushing Aomine down, easing his shorts off.

_Let me put it in you, Aominecchi. It’ll feel good, I promise._ __

_You want me to put it in you, don’t you? You want me to fuck you, don’t you?_

_Yes Kise,_ his mind yelled out in reply. _Touch me, fuck me, do whatever you want just don’t - don’t leave - keep touching me -_

_Mm, Aominecchi, such a pervert,_ Kise laughed. _I can’t believe you’re jacking yourself off fantasizing to me._

His voice grew mocking, and Aomine jolted up in his bedsheets, panting, covered in sweat, as he came all over his hands, Kise’s smirking face ingrained into his mind.

 

* * *

 

Over the next few weeks, Kise was entirely normal. Nothing gave away the fact that he had just broken up with his girlfriend, that he had taken her virginity, that he had lost his own in their locker room.

Aomine caught him staring wistfully towards the locker - _his_ goddamned locker, he should kill Kise just for having the guts to do it there, but Kise couldn’t know he had seen it - one day before practice, but other than that, nothing.

Kise was the same with him as well - bright, cheerful, idiotic, dazzling - and didn’t seem to suspect anything at all, which was a relief.

Aomine ended up skiving off practice a lot more, partly because he was getting increasingly frustrated with the sport in general, and partly because it was really hard to hide a boner in basketball shorts, and even harder to concentrate when the source of said boner was inches away from you, golden eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed, though not flushed in the way Aomine wanted them to be.

If Akashi noticed, or suspected anything, he remained silent, for which Aomine was eternally grateful - although it seemed more like Akashi had his own share of issues to deal with, since he seemed different in a way after a one-on-one with Murasakibara.

* * *

 

“Aominecchi~” Kise chirped, bouncing up to him after one of the rare practices that Aomine had actually bothered to attend.

Aomine cursed mentally.

“Let’s play one-on-one~”

_Sure, if that one-on-one involves me banging you against my locker - no!_

“Aominecchi?”

“Huh? What?” Aomine finally spared him a sideways glance. “What do you want?”

“Play me!” Kise said, shooting him a dazzling smile, and Aomine felt his heart skip a beat.

_This is getting fucking ridiculous._

“I don’t feel like it today, go away.”

Kise’s face fell, and Aomine wanted to punch himself.

“Aominecchi, so mean!” Kise pouted.

Aomine purposefully ignored him, knowing that one look at that ridiculously adorable face would probably have him relenting.

“We haven’t had a one-on-one in ages!”

“I said I don’t feel like it. Go bother Akashi or something.”

“Ehhhh? But I like it best when it’s with Aominecchi,” Kise said, sulking, and Aomine nearly choked on his own spit, as his mind went on an entirely different trajectory at those words.

“One game,” he growled, standing up and slamming his water bottle down. “First to five points wins.”

“Yay!” Kise cheered.

Aomine won, because even while trying to suppress a half-mast boner and ignore the tingle of electricity every time Kise brushed against him, he was still the king of basketball and his formless shots would _not_ miss. Even if his mind was thinking about how the very same fingers Kise was handling the basketball with had been administering great pleasure by sliding in and out of a girl’s - _no,_ he didn’t need to think about _that._

“Ahh~ Aominecchi’s so rough - ” Kise was breathing hard, his face flushed, after Aomine had slammed the last dunk right over his ( ~~talented, sexually stimulating)~~ fingers.

Aomine couldn’t ignore how that sounded - especially with Kise panting like that, red-faced - and promptly headed for the toilets, cuffing Kise on the head (such soft hair!).

“See you later, loser.”

* * *

 

One self-administered handjob later, he found Kise waiting for him at the gates, leaning against the brick wall and texting on his phone. The wind blew through his hair in a way that was just unfairly sexy - or maybe it was Aomine who was just unfairly turned on by every trivial thing about Kise now.

_Why the hell is he here?_

_Of course_ Kise would have waited for him today, the _one_ day Aomine didn’t want him to. Aomine usually waited for Kise too. It was their tradition, going to get ice cream after practice. Sometimes Kuroko and/or Momoi would join too, and sometimes Murasakibara. Midorima would tag along occasionally, acting like it was a complete coincidence and he didn’t actually know any of them.

Unfortunately, none of the others had decided to hang around today. Aomine cursed mentally. A few weeks ago and he would have loved to hang out, just him and Kise. But not today. Not anymore.

_You were so busy with your photoshoots before, why are you suddenly free again today? Or were you lying about the photoshoots, and actually ditching to go on dates with your precious Maicchi?_

“Aominecchi, today’s your turn to buy me ice cream!” Kise announced happily.

_What am I, a masochist?_ Aomine thought, but tagged along anyways, feeling slightly shyer than usual as he slung an arm around Kise’s neck.

Bad idea. Kise leaned into him slightly - and the proximity was too much - Aomine changed the affectionate gesture into a chokehold.

“You lost the one-on-one, you pay for the stupid ice cream,” he said, releasing Kise after having manhandled him. Kise rubbed at his neck, sulking.

“We never had that rule before!”

“Beat me, and I’ll treat you to ice cream for a month! And not just any convenience store ice cream, I'll buy you Haagen-Dazs!”

This tactic no longer worked on Kise, who narrowed his eyes. “That’s what you said to get out of paying last time.”

“And you still haven’t beat me. Not my fault.”

“But I still paid last time, and the time after.”

“Really? I don’t remember?”

“That’s because it’s been awhile, but I know I did!”

“Your fault for having a busy schedule, model-kun.”

“I was free on some of the days, but you never bothered showing up for practice!”

“You could have texted me, I would have still met up with you after.” 

"Whenever I asked you, you said you didn't feel like and blew me off!" 

"...whatever. I'm still not paying."

“Aominecchiiiiiiii,” Kise sulked, and Aomine steadfastly ignored him. “So stingy!”

Aomine cuffed him on the head.

They slid back into their usual banter, and Aomine was slightly relieved - so he _could_ be around Kise for more than two minutes without being assaulted by a bunch of sexual images with the end result of an uncomfortable boner - but then Kise decided to buy a popsicle. Aomine watched, with growing horror, as Kise unwrapped his popsicle.

Why the fuck the idiot had such an affinity for fucking popsicles, Aomine did not know, but the moment Kise slid the thing between his lips, Aomine knew he was done for.

_Stop mouthfucking the goddamn thing, Kise, are you practicing blowjobs or what?!_

Kise - unaware of the Aomine’s inner turmoil - continued chattering in his usual state of bliss as he casually performed what was, in Aomine’s eyes, the most seductive demonstration of oral sex on a popsicle ever.

Aomine followed his tongue and the way it flicked out to wipe away the sticky sweetness around his lips, the way Kise’s cheeks hollowed every so slightly as he sucked.

_That’s it, I’m done hanging out with him._

The next few times Kise asked for a one-on-one, Aomine coldly rejected him.

* * *

 

They drifted away, eventually, and Aomine hated himself for it. He also hated Kise for being so damn appealing, but he hated himself more.

He knew Kise was hurt, and confused, even if the blonde hid it up with smiles. It filled him with a pang of guilt, every time he rejected Kise’s plea for a one-on-one, or suggestion to hang out at the arcade or play video games like they used to. There were no more casual dinners, no more goofing off in the hallways between classes, no more getting kicked out of class together and scolded by the teachers for their ridiculous antics.

Aomine wondered why Kise didn’t confront him about it. He kept expected the blonde to just blow up at him after practice and demand to know _why is Aominecchi ignoring me and being so mean?!_

He expected sulking and pouting and tears, and maybe a part of him wanted Kise to come running after him, begging to know what he did wrong that would make his precious Aominecchi distance himself so.

Kise tried - Aomine could tell - but the blonde was never upfront about it.

“Aominecchi, we haven’t had a one-on-one in weeks!”

“Aominecchi, they updated the karaoke machine, let’s go check it out!”

“Aominecchi, the new NBA game is out, I ordered it, do you want to come by later to play?”

Every time, Aomine brushed him off, heart clenching slightly as he saw the way Kise’s pretty face would fall, the flash of hurt in his eyes before he replaced it with his usual sparkling, sunny expression.

“Ah, okay, I guess you’re not interested. I’ll ask Kurokocchi then. Kurokocchi~”

Aomine wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t jealous, when Kise and Kuroko started hanging out a lot more. Moreover, he and Kuroko were distancing too - but that was because of basketball more than anything, and okay, maybe Aomine had been a bit of a dick and used rather poor wording when some things were concerned… but Kise wasn’t supposed to be like Kuroko. Kise _wasn’t_ like Kuroko.

Kise was like _him_. Kise was a talented genius, one whose talent far exceeded everyone else. Kise was the one person who challenged him, the one person who didn’t disappoint him or give up on him on the court. Kise had a fire in his eyes every time he played Aomine, and always asked for more. Kise knew what it was like to be at the top. Kise knew what it was like to be so good that your opponents were frightened of you. Kise understood him.

And yet, Aomine was pushing him away - pushing away the one person he should have kept the closest at the time when everyone and everything - even his beloved sport - were becoming unbearable.

* * *

 

There was one day when Aomine actually thought Kise would confront him about it. They had bumped into each other at the gate; Aomine had been waiting for Momoi and Kise had been… well, Kise had been on his way to a shoot or something. Aomine didn't know what the blonde's schedule was like anymore. 

“Aominecchi?” Kise greeted tentatively.

Aomine turned around and nodded. “Yo.”

He waited for the inevitable invitation, but it didn’t come. He was disappointed. He had noticed Kise backing off and keeping his distance, but he had always expected - or rather hoped - that Kise would miss him enough to come running back, no matter how cold Aomine was.

“I - um - A-Aominecchi?”

Kise was fidgeting slightly, his eyes downcast. Aomine had never seen him look that out of it.

“What? Do you want to say something?”

“It’s just I noticed that - well, um…” Kise raked a hand through his hair, and Aomine averted his eyes.

_Does he not realize how sexy that is? Fucking moron._  

"Spit it out already."

“Is - everything okay, Aominecchi?”

Kise sounded genuinely concerned, and Aomine swallowed the lump in his throat.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped, rather harshly. “Why are you asking stupid vague shit?”

“Ahh, I don’t know, I just thought - or rather it seemed like - Aominecchi - are you…”

Kise trailed off, biting his lip, and Aomine could clearly see the hurt glistening in his eyes this time.

_Ask me,_ a part of him begged Kise. _Ask me what’s wrong. Ask my why I’ve been avoiding you. Ask me if I’m mad at you._

He didn’t know what he would say though, if Kise asked.

_I can’t look at you without wanting to grab you and kiss you senseless. When I see you on the basketball court it’s like every drop of blood in my body just rushes to my fucking dick. I masturbate to your face and the sound of your voice at night, under the sheets in my bed, in the shower, heck I even left class early that one time to jerk off in the toilet because you were sitting right there looking so fucking gorgeous and I couldn’t control myself…_ __

Saying the truth was out of the question, so Aomine opted for silence.

Kise hesitated, his gold eyes roving over Aomine’s face. Seeing Aomine’s rather hostile expression, Kise just shrugged.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” he said airily. “Nevermind, forget I said anything.”

“...”

“Oh, look! My car’s here!” Kise announced, as a shiny black cab pulled up in front of him. “I have a shoot, can’t be late. See you around, Aominecchi~”

_Kise, wait,_  Aomine wanted to call after him. But Kise was gone, his unspoken words hanging between them, widening the distance.

* * *

 

When graduation came, the Generation of Miracles had already decided to go their own separate ways. Aomine got a lot of cheers when his name was called and he went on stage; he was the ace of the Teikou basketball team after all, and even if most students didn’t know what actually went on during club activities, they knew the match results, and who the top-scorer was. Midorima, Murasakibara and Akashi got considerable cheering as well, especially the latter (who also seemed to have a legion of fangirls, even if not as vast and rabid as Kise's; Akashi's were more well-behaved and demure, appreciating from the distance but never daring to shriek and gush in their crush's presence). 

But none of them got as much as Kise when he walked on stage, and the entire auditorium burst into applause, shrieks, and some tears, from girls who were so distraught and heartbroken that _Kise-senpai is leaving us!_

Kise just smiled and waved, looking flawless, as he walked on and off the stage.

After the graduation ceremony, Aomine saw him again.

There was a line of girls (and some boys) queuing up to take photos with him.

For a moment, Aomine considered cutting the queue, cuffing Kise around the head and dragging him off so they could take their own graduation photo.

A silly selfie maybe, like those ones Aomine had saved on his phone, from the summer, with the face masks.

It’s what he would have done a few months ago.

But he didn’t, instead, walking right past Kise without sparing him another glance.

If Kise noticed, he didn’t show it, as he continued smiling perfectly for the cameras and his adoring fangirls.

* * *

 

The Generation of Miracles split up right after graduation. Aomine had learned, during their last meeting, that Kise was going to Kaijou, another basketball powerhouse, located in Kanagawa.

He’d be a good forty minutes away by train, but that didn’t matter anymore.

The entire atmosphere between the Generation of Miracles had changed. It wasn’t like before; warm, bright, joking, laughing, annoying one another. They were cold now, and tense, and even though Kuroko never had the strongest presence, it felt empty without him there.

Even when they took their oath - to fight against one another as members of different high schools - Aomine felt a sort of hollow emptiness to the promise. It lacked the passion, the fervor that had once driven them, driven him.

_Not like any of them can compete with me anyways… who knows if and when I’ll even see them? Interhigh? What a joke… as if those high schoolers are any better than the losers in middle school… for all I know, I won’t even take part in that tournament…_

Aomine didn’t know what he’d say to any of them - to Midorima, to Murasakibara, to Akashi - he didn’t know how and why they’d grown distant, but they had.

He knew why Kise had grown distant, but that didn’t matter. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Kise looking at him, perhaps trying to catch his attention. Or perhaps it was wishful thinking.

Kise had been his best friend, along with Kuroko; but yet, somehow in a different way from Kuroko.

And Aomine had somehow screwed up both friendships, it seemed.

_At least I still have Satsuki._ __

Aomine would never tell her, but he was ridiculously thankful to the girl for simply existing, and bearing with him. She was an angel with an endless patience, and Aomine was pretty sure he’d be spending this summer - unlike the previous one, which had been full of all his teammates, especially Kise - with only her for company.

After his uncharacteristically cool statement that he’d see them all at Interhigh, Kise walked out of the gym without another word or glance.

One by one, the rest of the miracles followed.

Middle school had ended. Teikou was over. The Generation of Miracles had split apart.

* * *

 

At the convenience store the summer after graduating, Aomine’s eyes almost involuntarily fell on the magazine section. He glanced over the issues that had Kise’s smirking face on the cover until another magazine caught his gaze.

A pretty brunette with short hair and doe eyes pouted at the camera. She was wearing a bikini that barely covered anything, and most of the focus of the front page were her rather generous breasts, which were pretty much popping out of the fabric.

_'Up and coming gravure idol Horikita Mai shows us interesting sides of herself in her new photobook!'_ was the titled splashed across the page in bright pink font.

_Horikita Mai…_ __

The name - and the face - was unmistakeable. Aomine wouldn’t forget, not given the number of times he’d replayed that scene in his mind, though admittedly his focus had been Kise and not her.

It was Kise’s ex, the one Aomine had seen Kise having sex with in the locker room, the one that had gone on to become an idol.

Aomine eyed her large breasts, remembering how Kise had been kneading and massaging them with his magical fingers. He looked at her glossy lips - the ones that Kise had kissed, traced with his tongue - her neck, which he’d sucked at in a way that had made her whimper and moan.

Involuntarily, he reached for the magazine, clenching his fists slightly, crumpling the cover.

“Ehhh? Dai-chan, you’re reading eroi magazines?!” Momoi squealed, choosing that moment to pop up.

“What?!” Aomine spun around and glared at her, still clutching the magazine.

Momoi grabbed it from his hands before he could protest, pink eyes widening as she read the cover.

“Horikita Mai? I didn’t know you liked her!”

“It’s none of your business,” Aomine snapped, wrenching it back from her.

“I didn’t know you had space in your basketball-head to think about such things.”

“Shut up, Satsuki!”

“You know, Ki-chan knows her! They were in the same agency! They dated for awhile too, I think - ”

“Like I keep track of Kise and his harem.”

“They had to break up because her idol contract stated she wasn’t allowed a boyfriend. It’s so sad,” Momoi went on, ignoring him.

_I know that far too well,_ Aomine thought bitterly. _And it’s not sad. She was a nuisance, it’s good he was rid of her. Emotionally manipulating him into having sex with her like that. Kise’s an idiot too, falling for such shit! She was so clingy and whiny and needy and…_

“- knew she was an idol but I didn’t know she was doing gravure, I wonder what Ki-chan thinks about that, oooh, I should text him, he’ll find it hilarious that you’re into one of his exes now!”

“I’m not into Kise’s ex!” Aomine growled, snatching the magazine back from Momoi. Damnit, he was going to have to pay for it now - the cover had torn slightly during their scuffle.

“I know you’re not,” Momoi said sunnily. “But it’s a better excuse that way, don’t you think?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Aomine snarled at her, his heart sinking.

Momoi couldn’t know, she couldn’t have guessed, she was just messing with him.

“Ah, nothing.” Momoi smiled sunnily, her smile and obvious lie reminding him uncomfortably of someone. “Pay for that, and let’s go~”

* * *

 

That night, Aomine received a text. He opened it, cursing both Momoi and Kise.

**Aominecchi〜(⌒▽⌒)☆ Long time, how are you? Momoicchi told me about your little crush (´ω｀♡)**

It was the first time Kise had texted him in… weeks. They hadn’t spoken since before graduation. Panicking, Aomine typed back furiously.

**what the hell are you talking about?? I don’t have a crush on anyone, satsuki just likes making up stupid shit.**

Kise replied almost immediately, and Aomine opened it, his heart pounding.

**Still in denial, Aominecchi? How cute〜 (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)you don’t have to be so shy though. I wish you’d told me about it, I could have introduced you two.**

That part was confusing.

**who are you talking about?!?!**

**Horikita Mai〜 she’s from my agency. We actually dated at some point ⌒_⌒;) I didn’t know Aominecchi liked her. I haven’t spoken to her in ages but I could get in touch if you wanted me to?**

Aomine stared at the screen, shocked. Kise thought he liked Horikita Mai?!

_You baka, you don’t realize how off you are._ __

Still, Aomine supposed it was convenient, and a better excuse. Even if Aomine was into boys, Kise was into girls.

**Aominecchi?? I’m serious, I could arrange for you to see her at a photoshoot or something!**

**don't bother**

**Ehhh, but Aominecchi? Isn’t she your favorite gravure idol or model or whatever?**

Aomine didn’t reply after that. Let Kise think what he wanted.

_No, you idiot. You’re my favorite model. You always have been._  

It was still a good excuse, though, Aomine realized. A good ruse.  

After all, one of the pages in Horikita Mai’s photobooks usually had a picture or photospread of one of the other more popular male models from the big agencies that had a tie-up with her agency - namely Kise's agency. In fact, more often than not, Kise himself featured in her photobooks.

Aomine wouldn’t be caught buying one of Kise’s photobooks, but he was shameless enough to buy and walk around carrying Mai-chan’s openly. Once he entered Touou, everyone assumed (except for perhaps Momoi, who fortunately played along with his act) that he was just a pervert who was into girls with big boobs.

They didn’t know about the glossy spread on pages 12 and 13 of the photobook, the spread that Aomine spent hours staring at - toned abs, sharp hipbones peeking out over sinfully tight jeans, golden hair, a smoldering gaze, shamelessly eyefucking him through the camera - when nobody was around. 

They didn't know the truth. And if Aomine had it his way, nobody ever would. 

 

* * *

 

 


	2. Interhigh, Winter Cup and Post-Winter Cup Arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically me vicariously gushing about Kise's hotness and basketball skills through Aomine. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. But no amount of love is enough for Kise baby. 
> 
> I'm including a cameo of sorts of a character from another sports anime, Haikyuu! If you don't watch Haikyuu, don't worry, you aren't missing much; just take him as a random OC! :) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this!

* * *

 

Aomine stared at the roster for the Interhigh Tournament. The first three match-ups held no interest for him. 

_Actually…_

“Seirin.” Aomine turned to Momoi. “Did one of them go to Seirin?” 

She didn’t have to ask who he was referring to. 

“Dai-chan!” she looked scandalized. “You actually don’t know?!” 

“I haven’t been in touch,” Aomine said, shrugging. “Who is it? Akashi’s in some Kyoto school, so it can’t be him. Midorima? Murasakibara?”

“Mukkun goes to a school in Akita,” Momoi informed him, pursing her lips. “Midorin goes to Shuutoku. And Akashi-kun’s school is Rakuzan.” 

_And Kise goes to Kaijou._  

Aomine didn’t have to be told that. He remembered Kise’s high school, the fact that it was a forty minute train ride away from Touou with two changes. He’d never actually gone there, and he hadn’t spoken to Kise in months. 

But he knew. 

Plus there had been that stupid sports issue of rising basketball stars which featured an article on ‘Kaijou no Kise’. 

_So the idiot’s made it to both idol magazines and sports magazines, now, huh?_ Aomine had thought. 

_Blue suits him. Goes nice with his hair,_ had been his other thought.

“So it’s Tetsu?” Aomine raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“Well. Okay.”

_Damn._  

His friendship with Kuroko had ended on a much worse note than his friendship with Kise. But it was pointless dwelling on the past. If Aomine felt even a morsel of regret for the cruel things he had said to the kind, blue-haired boy, he immediately swallowed it. 

“So that won’t be a hard match to win,” he muttered, and Momoi shot him a disapproving look. 

_I’ll probably skip the first half,_ he thought to himself, though he didn’t voice that comment out loud.

“What?” he asked, as Momoi continued to glare at him.

“It’s Tetsu-kun’s team!” she said shrilly. 

“So what?” Aomine shrugged, as he continued to scan the roster. A small smirk pulled at his lips as he identified the school he had been searching for, and it’s matchups. 

Kaijou would slay most of those schools. And even without him, Touo was strong. 

_I won’t have to wait that long… to play him again…_

“What are you smiling about?” Satsuki asked warily. 

Aomine bared his teeth in a grin. “The one good thing about this lame tournament."

"Which is...?" 

"At least the quarterfinal will be interesting.”

 

* * *

 

He didn’t bother watching any of Kaijou’s matches. The Touou versus Seirin match proved to be more fun than expected, and Aomine had tried. Just a bit, but he had tried.

Kuroko’s new friend Kagami, at any rate, was someone to watch out for.

But Aomine wasn’t too bothered.

There had only been only one match, one opponent that he had been looking forward to, that he had been fired up for.

“I have his data,” Momoi said suddenly, on their ride home after the Seirin match.

Aomine didn’t need to ask who she was talking about.

“He’s gotten really good, his stats are much higher than before,” she continued.  

“So?” 

“I have all his data, an entire report. Don’t you want to take a look at it?” 

“Are you offering him data on me?” 

Momoi looked confused. “Dai-chan, I’m the manager for Touo, not Kaijou - ” 

“But you’re in touch with him, aren’t you? I’m sure you two talk about… idols, or kdrama or whatever it is you’re both into these days.” 

“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” Momoi said, pink eyebrows knitting together. “I’m the Touo manager. I can’t help any of them out even if I wanted, regardless of whether it’s Ki-chan or even Tetsu-kun - ”

“I don’t need your stupid data to beat Kise,” Aomine cut her off.

“But Dai-chan - he's not anything like how he was in middle school, he really - ” 

“Satsuki, I said no. Drop it.”

 

* * *

 

Restless, a growing excitement within him, Aomine spent a good thirty minutes warming up for the Kaijou match. 

He jacked off once too, though not to any of the Kise pictures; he had finally gotten over that habit a couple weeks ago, and he wasn’t going to start again. 

It wasn’t quite as fun doing it when he didn’t have stimulating eye candy in front of him, or steamy fantasies playing in his head - but he got the deed done nonetheless, feeling a lot less satisfied about it all then he would have three weeks earlier, when everything had been about Kise, Kise’s eyes, Kise’s voice.

Aomine hadn’t heard his voice in months, but he still remembered - with a visceral clarity - what it had sounded like. 

Aomine was fairly certain that he was mostly over whatever sexual crush he had developed on Kise and that it wouldn’t impede his play (and even if it did, he’d beat the blonde’s pretty ass). 

But, there was no denying that Kise had grown. Aomine hadn’t seen him in person, but there had been magazine spreads that cropped up everywhere, and Aomine didn’t want to take chances.

Aomine showed up in the Touou locker room, breathless, sweaty, warmed up, and on time for once, vaguely amused by how utterly shocked his entire team looked, except for Satsuki, who just smiled knowingly. 

“Kise is our opponent, right,” he said in response to the dumbfounded looks, as if it were obvious. “There’s no way I’d be late today.”

 

* * *

 

_Damn, he got hotter._  

Those were the thoughts that flitted across Aomine’s mind when he finally lay his eyes on Kise from across the court.

Kise had gained more muscle, and gotten a bit taller, though Aomine was inwardly thrilled that he still had a couple centimeters on the blonde. He’d also gotten one of his ears pierced, the small silver ring glinting almost teasingly at Aomine between the golden strands that framed Kise’s face. His hairstyle was mostly the same, perhaps a bit longer.   

The blonde’s gaze was steely, determined, and when he greeted Aomine, his voice wasn’t light and flirty as Aomine had always remembered it.

_At least he hasn’t stopped calling me Aominecchi._  

Aomine didn’t know why it even mattered - it was a stupid nickname after all; and yet, if Kise had called him ‘Aomine-kun’, he didn’t think he would want to play the match anymore.

 

* * *

 

It was a good match. Kise was good, ridiculously good, and hell yes, Aomine was enjoying himself.

_Finally. Finally!_  

And then Kise just had to piss him off by passing to his brunet teammate, the Kaijou captain. 

_Kasamatsu-senpai_ , Aomine learned his name was. He had seen the pair’s interactions out of the corner of his eyes, earlier.

It had only been a few seconds, but for Aomine it was still too much. 

Kasamatsu manhandled Kise, in a way that reminded Aomine of how he had been with Kise in Teikou.

And Kise didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed rather fond of Kasamatsu. 

_The only one who can beat Kise up is me,_ Aomine thought to himself, feeling a sudden, irrational flare of possessiveness.

Naturally, when Kise chose to pull a Kuroko and pass to Kasamatsu instead of going head-on with Aomine, Aomine was _mad_.

_What the fuck? This is a one-on-one between me and you. How dare you pull someone else in. Isn’t this what you wanted? You loved having one-on-ones, just the two of us without all these inferior losers and -_  

“You remind me of Tetsu,” Aomine said sourly. 

It annoyed him even more how Kise didn’t seem to realize that was supposed to be an insult. 

Kise had never passed. He had been a solo player, just like him. That was his style, their style.

_Maybe his style has changed… maybe he’s not like me anymore…_

They very thought was unbearable. Kise  _had_ to be like him. Kise  _wanted_ to be like him. Aomine had been Kise's role-model, his idol. 

_We're solo players, damnit. Don't tell me you've gone soft, Kise!_

 

* * *

 

In fact, Kise was more like him than Aomine had ever imagined. 

When Kise copied his formless style for the first time ever, dodging Aomine with movements that felt like he was playing across from a mirror, a ridiculous agility and ball-handling, forcing Aomine to foul, and then landing a basket from behind both their heads - three points, the first time he’d ever managed to take so many from Aomine! - Aomine was furious.

Furious. And fired up. And absolutely thrilled. And maybe, just  _maybe_ , more than a little bit turned on. 

_Damn, he seems even sexier now that I know he can beat me…_

And suddenly those feelings that Aomine thought he had gotten over came rushing back. Indeed, Kise had never seemed as appealing as he did then, in his white and blue Kaijou jersey, drenched with sweat and panting, after scoring three points against Aomine in an official match.

There was obviously nothing that Aomine could do about it. He vaguely wondered how pissed Satsuki and the rest of his team would be if he asked for a timeout so he could go to the bathroom and jack off to the play that had just occurred.

But it was out of question, and besides, he was enjoying the match way too much. Plus, he needed to put Kise in his place. He was not going to be bested by the blonde. 

Kise had never copied his entire style before. And now he had gotten it down perfectly.

_How long has he been watching me? How much observation did it take for him to figure that out?_

A part of Aomine was ecstatic that he had held Kise’s attention for so long - even now - so much so that Kise would pour all his efforts into copying his style. 

Another part of him wondered why Kise had never done it before. Surely, he had been capable enough in Teikou as well. Had there been another reason? 

_What did he mean when he said he was done admiring me?_  

That part of Kise’s statement had really annoyed Aomine. 

_You’re supposed to keep admiring me, idiot._  

What was the point though? They were barely even friends. And yet… all this time… Kise had still continued to admire him, to aspire for him… 

Aomine felt a wave of regret, intensified more when the gravity of Kise’s previous remarks sank in. 

_Why would he stop now?! That dumbass! He can’t just stop admiring me, who does he think he is?!_  

Aomine would show him.

 

* * *

 

The next few minutes went by in a blur, and were the most thrilling, nerve-wracking and purely fun moments Aomine had experienced in his life.

He and Kise were locked in an intense, ongoing one-on-one without any interference from their other teammates. Ace against Ace. Aomine against Kise, just like the old days, but so much more intense.

Aomine tried every trick he knew, every fancy dribble, every formless shot, and each time, Kise copied him over as if he had done nothing else his whole life. It was frustrating but it was also gratifying. There was nothing he could do to best Kise… it was a stalemate situation… and he had never been happier in his entire life.   

It was such a nerve-wracking pace, Aomine didn’t even have time to be awestruck, or turned on, or anything. He was barely managing to keep up, barely managing to find innovative ways to dodge and score against Kise to one-up the score. 

“KISE!” he growled as he dunked a basketball right above Kise’s head. 

“AOMINECCHI!” Kise cried back, copying his move and scoring, yet again. 

They were together - their faces just inches away, and Aomine could feel the heat radiating off of Kise, the blonde’s hot breath on his skin - and then they were apart, running, chasing, dodging. 

Aomine wished that it would last forever. He wished that he could spend eternity, locked with Kise on a court, playing like this, never able to get a sufficient lead… 

But he couldn’t. And even Kise wasn’t going to be able to keep up his pace forever.

 

* * *

 

When Kise looked at him with pity after the fourth foul, Aomine wanted to punch the blonde. 

_How dare you look at me with those eyes! Who do you think you are?! Do you think you can afford to worry about me?!_  

Indeed, Kise’s expression was more like a kick to the gut than the idea he would be fouled out if he committed one more mistake. 

What scared Aomine even more was the implication of it all, and the nagging suspicion he’d had ever since Kise had first copied his style during the match. He could see it in Kise's eyes: the all too expressive golden eyes. Aomine had always been able to read Kise, and he read Kise's emotions just then, and they  _infuriated_ him. 

_He’s sad because he thinks I’m going to lose. He’s sad for me. He wants to win… but he also wants me to win._

Had that also held true during their one-on-ones? 

_Kise, you fucker… if you were holding back against me all this time… or letting me win… I’m never going to forgive you._

He didn’t think Kise had been letting him win. No, Aomine was fairly confident that even if Kise gave it his all, Aomine would be able to defeat him. 

But Kise clearly hadn’t been giving it his all. Aomine knew Kise had a soft spot for him and idolized him, but with all of Kise’s proclamations that he wanted to beat Aomine, Aomine had never imagined that Kise’s desire to not see Aomine lose would be greater than the blonde’s own desire to win.

_Is that why he stopped idolizing me? Because he knew he couldn’t bring himself to go all-out to defeat his idol?_

Kise could read him like a book, and vice-versa. On the court and off, they knew each other best. Kise had said it aloud himself, and Aomine had admitted it as well. Even after all this time, they were so in sync.

And then Kise had to do stupid things. Like pass to Kasamatsu, something Aomine would have never done. And then he had the audacity to pity Aomine for a foul he had pretty much asked for with his play style.

_I don’t get him anymore… I don’t think I ever got him at all…_

All the confusion and uncertainty and 'what if's were really starting to piss Aomine off.

How the hell did it matter if he hadn’t attended practice or played seriously in months? He was Aomine Daiki. He was nowhere near his true potential yet. If Kise could grow this much in such a short time, so could he, even over the span of one match. 

_So you gave up looking up to me, huh, Kise? I’m not good enough for you anymore, is that what it is? Whatever it is, I’ll make you see. I’ll show you. I'll make you realize that no matter how much you thought you grew in Kaijou, no matter how much you pass and team up with your senpai, you'll never be a match for me._

_I'll always be ahead of you and you'll never be able to beat me. You might say you stopped idolizing me, you might think that you're going to give up on chasing me... but I won't give you a damn choice, just wait and see. The result of this match will prove it; I'll always be ahead of you and no matter where you are and who else you play with, you're going to have to spend the rest of your damn life chasing me._

 

* * *

 

Aomine saw the spasm of pain that crossed Kise’s face, the way the blonde staggered, ever-so-slightly, his ankle twisting strangely.

Kise continued to play, valiantly hiding the injury, but Aomine knew it was over. 

It had cost Kise the game. Touo was assured victory now, and it would be by a wider margin than Aomine had expected. 

A lump grew in his throat. 

_We are going to win. I’m going to beat Kise. This was the closest match I’ve had in my life, and now I’m going to win. I also proved my point: that he can't beat me, that he has to keep chasing after me. So why is it that I’m feeling more miserable than before?_

 

* * *

 

When the whistle blew, the victory left a bitter taste in his mouth; perhaps his unhappiest victory since the time they had beat that random school during Teikou - the school that had given up and let him shoot, without even trying to stop him.

Kise had tried though. Kise had given it everything he had, and he had come so close to beating Aomine… but he had failed. 

And Aomine supposed he should be relieved. He should be terrified that Kise had even come that close. 

_So then why the fuck am I feeling so sad?_  

His eyes landed on Kise, who was collapsed on the floor, his injured leg having finally given way. The blonde’s face was obscured by his long hair, but Aomine saw the way he struggled to stand up, saw the way he failed and collapsed back on the ground, saw the way Kise’s fist clenched by his side. 

He wanted nothing more than to run to Kise’s side then, take his hand, help him up. 

_Do I even have the right to do that anymore? Who am I to him now? Nothing?_  

Aomine stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on Kise. He was about to take a step forward, but then Kasamatsu - Kise’s teammate, his captain, his precious senpai - was by the blonde’s side, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him up. 

Aomine turned around and walked away.

When Imayoshi asked him about it, Aomine curtly replied. “Even you would get mad if I tried to comfort you after I beat you.” 

Besides, Kise didn’t need him anymore. 

And maybe that’s why today’s victory was feeling more like a loss.

 

* * *

 

When the teams lined up to shake hands, Aomine chest contracted tightly, because Kise was crying.

There were tears leaking out of his golden eyes, and he was sniffling pitifully. His senpai were comforting him and it all made Aomine want to punch someone. 

He’d never seen Kise cry like that. 

_Fuck… is it my fault?_  

That couldn’t be the reason Kise was crying. Kise wasn’t that petty, he had lost against Aomine so many times.

_Then what is it? What is it that has you looking like that?_  

Aomine had never seen Kise look so upset, and it was physically painful watching him.

_Maybe he really overstrained his leg and his injury is worse than he’s letting on. It probably hurts like hell._  

That was probably it, Aomine thought, feeling a surge of concern. It was so like Kise to pretend he was fine when he wasn’t. He’d tell the others he was crying about the outcome of the match, but only Aomine would see through it and know it wasn’t the only reason. 

_Are you sad that you lost, after putting everything on the line? Are you crying at all because of me? Was it because I beat you?_

He desperately wanted to know, but he had no way of asking, and he and Kise hadn’t even spoken in months. 

When the teams shook hands, Aomine wanted to walk over to Kise, but he stayed rooted in his spot, wordlessly shaking the hands of whichever Kaijou players came his way. Kise limped over last, supported by Kasamatsu. 

Aomine’s face darkened. 

He wasn’t sure why but he really didn’t like Kasamatsu and his proximity to Kise. Which was ridiculous, because Kise was injured, and of course someone had to support him. 

_That’s supposed to be me. Even the one who helped him up… it should have been me..._  

Kise had wiped away his tears, but his eyes were still red and puffy. It was kind of cute, and Aomine felt rather pathetic for even thinking such a thing. 

“A-Aominecchi,” he said, hiccupping. “You - you won again.” 

Aomine said nothing, his dead sapphire eyes meeting Kise’s watery golden ones. 

“It’s fine,” Kise went on, managing a half-hearted smile. “I - I’ll beat you next time. Just wait.”

Aomine was overcome by the sudden urge to reach out and yank the blonde out of Kasamatsu’s grasp and hug him, hug him the way he had during Teikou when they had won together, as a team. 

_This is all so wrong._  

Aomine did nothing, and said nothing, just stared at the blonde in front of him. 

“I - I got better though, didn’t I?” Kise asked, his voice cracking slightly. “In Teikou I couldn’t even get one basket past you and here I - I - ”

He broke off, his golden gaze earnest, boring into Aomine’s. It was clear what Kise wanted: some recognition, praise, some sign from Aomine that he had done well.

_You were amazing. I haven’t had this much fun in my life. I overexerted myself playing you. My muscles are killing me. I’m going to have to sleep for hours, I’m so exhausted. Satsuki is going to chew my brains out for overdoing it._

Aomine said nothing, and Kise’s face fell.  

When Kise tentatively held out a hand - looking almost nervous that Aomine wouldn’t accept it - Aomine reached out and grasped it.

His fingers slid through Kise’s for a few brief seconds. Kise’s skin was soft and suddenly Aomine was overcome by a surge of emotion he didn’t quite understand.

They both let go after that, and when Kasamatsu offered his hand, Aomine pretended like he hadn’t seen it, and walked off of the court. 

He hadn’t said a single thing to Kise. 

_What the fuck is wrong with me? Why the hell am I feeling so messed up in the head about this?_

 

* * *

 

Aomine had been right about one thing: Satsuki did nag him.

"You aren’t as badly injured as Ki-chan but you’ve pulled a muscle, and that too, right before the semi-final! If you win that you’ll be against Rakuzan in the final! Do you actually think you can go up against Akashi-kun like this?"

Aomine didn’t know if he even would go up against Akashi. He didn’t particularly feel like playing any of the Winter Cup matches after this one. Hell, screw the promise he had made with the rest of the Miracles. He’d had his one-on-one with Kise. For him, that had been the final. Nothing was going to measure up to it, not even Akashi. He was done with the Winter Cup.

 When he’d voiced this to Satsuki, she only nagged him more, before her countenance turned sad once she realized that there was no amount of nagging that would convince him to play.

“Just because Ki-chan can’t play, you’re not going to either? Are you trying to punish yourself or something, Dai-chan? You know it’s not your fault he’s injured. Both of you don’t know to stick within your limits when you play one another, it’s - ”

“Shut up, Satsuki,” Aomine growled at her. “Don’t try to analyze me and Kise now.” 

And then he stormed off. He felt slightly guilty about it later, but it was Satsuki. He’d just make it up with her tomorrow, and besides, it wasn’t worse than that time he’d called her ugly. 

She had forgiven him then, she’d forgive him for something like this.

_Besides, it’s not like he actually thought he was ugly. She was very attractive, if one considered it objectively. However, ‘pretty’ was a word that was synonymous with golden hair and golden eyes and long eyelashes resting against sharp cheekbones, at least in Aomine’s mind._  

As exhausted as he was, Aomine knew he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight until he dealt with the issue that he had been pushing to the back of his mind for the past few hours.

 

* * *

 

 Aomine didn’t need to dig out any magazines this time.

The match was still deeply ingrained into his memory. He swallowed, ignoring the parts where Kise cried and looked at him sadly, and focused on the part before.

Kise's eyes, bright with determination, burning into his own. 

Kise, biting his lower lip in concentration, just before he copied all of Aomine’s agility. 

Kise, brushing past him, too fast, out of reach. 

The shadow of a smirk that pulled at Kise’s lips, just before he beat Aomine, scoring three points off of one play. 

The way the sweat-drenched, white Teikou jersey clung to Kise’s shoulders and chest, outlining his muscles. 

Aomine bit his lip as he fell back against his pillow, eyes sliding shut as his hand closed around his throbbing member, and pumped.

 

* * *

 

Afterwards, Aomine realized how screwed he was.

He hadn’t felt this satisfied after a wank in a while. 

It had been three weeks since he’d touched himself while thinking about Kise, and if he had taken it as a sign that he was over the blonde… well, two minutes ago had proved him just how wrong that thought was. 

If anything, it had been too long, and this had reminded him of just how good it felt, thinking of Kise like that.

And seeing the blonde today… he had undoubtedly become hotter, better at basketball… and Aomine was more turned on by him than ever. 

_He probably hates me though. I was a dick to him, I didn’t even tell him he did well or say anything after the match._  

It was all and good though. 

As much as a part of Aomine wanted Kise back in his life as a friend… another part of him felt that he should stay as far away from the blonde as possible.

 

* * *

 

The Winter Cup. 

A few months after Interhigh. A few months after his last match with Kise. 

Aomine studied the schedule. 

His first face up would be Kuroko and Kagami; that wouldn't be too difficult a victory, but he had to be careful. The duo had some pretty slick teamwork, and the rest of Seirin wasn't weak. Still, he would beat them. 

He wouldn't have to face Midorima because of the way the matchups were done; no, his next worthy opponent would be Murasakibara.

That would also be an interesting match. 

Aomine hadn't gone one-on-one with Murasakibara since Teikou. The giant, along with Akashi and Aomine, had all sat out their respective matches during the Interhigh; Akashi had told Murasakibara not to play, and Aomine hadn't been bothered. 

And then after he beat Murasakibara and Yosen... it would be Kaijou. Kise. Once again. 

_I wonder if his leg is okay..._

 

* * *

 

Aomine had expected the first few matches to be easy. Other than Yosen, the rest would have been warmups. Warmups for Kaijou. Warmups for Kise. 

Losing to Seirin had been an absolute shock. 

And yet, after the loss, Aomine felt ridiculously relieved. 

He had been beaten. There was someone - well, even if not solo and as part of a team - there was someone better than him. There were players capable of forcing him into the zone. There were players capable of defeating him. 

Aomine had always assumed that if he ever entered the zone, it would be up against Kise. He had thought that if he _ever_ was defeated - in the distant future - it would be at Kise's hands. 

But it hadn't been Kise. 

No, in fact, it had been the most unlikely person ever: Kuroko. And Kagami. Damn, Kagami was a beast. Kuroko and Kagami, as a pair, had been... monsters. 

Aomine had always been considered the monster, but that day, he discovered that the Kuroko-Kagami due was more monstrous than him alone. 

_I was wrong about Tetsu back at Teikou... I was so wrong... and such an asshole to him..._

Fortunately, reconciling with Kuroko proved to be a lot easier than Aomine would have expected, after that. His former shadow was kind and forgiving, and it made Aomine feel even more crappy about the horrible things he had said to Kuroko in middle school.

He wished that going back to normal with Kise would be just as easy. It probably would be, if he initiated even one meet-up or one-on-one. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

Kuroko was different. Aomine didn’t have unresolved sexual tension around Kuroko. Aomine didn’t have wet dreams about Kuroko.

He learned from Kuroko that Kagami and Kise knew one another as well. Kise had showed up in Seirin of his own accord for a match, and then Seirin and Kaijou had a practice match arranged. 

_He never came to Touo_ , Aomine had thought, with a pang of jealousy. 

But then again, Kuroko and Kise were still close, by the sound of it. 

It made Aomine ever more bitter. 

Aomine, Kise, Kuroko: that’s how they had been in Teikou. His friends. A trio that hung out together a lot. And now Kise was hanging out with Kuroko and his new friend Kagami and it was all very frustrating, even though Aomine knew that he deserved it; he was the one who had started avoiding Kise after all.

Still, he couldn't help but be a bit jealous of Kuroko and Kagami. 

_They'd_ be the once facing Kise in the semifinals after all. 

Aomine wasn't a particularly vengeful type, but he still thought it:  _Kise, you have to beat them for me._

Kise would have other matches before Seirin, though Aomine was confident he would win all of them. He didn't bother going to watch, until Momoi physically dragged him to one. 

'Kaijou versus Fukuda'

It didn't seem like it would be a big deal, and Aomine yawned. Kise would probably slaughter them without having to try. 

 

* * *

 

The moment Aomine saw Haizaki’s familiar sneering face, he jolted up, suddenly tense.

_That bastard still plays? And what are the odds, his team is matched against Kaijou?!_

Aomine knew that in terms of skill, Kise far outstripped Haizaki. And yet, he felt a growing anxiety that somehow, things would not end well for Kise. 

Aomine remained tense as he watched the match from the stands, his eyes focused on Kise, the entire time. The blonde played well - majestically, in fact.

Aomine’s breath caught in his throat as he saw Kise sink into a familiar position, and shoot. 

_It can’t possibly go in_ , was what he should have thought, rationally.

But Kise’s talent wasn’t rational. 

Midorima’s shots never missed, and Kise’s perfect copy was, well, perfect. 

The ball arced over the court and went straight into the basket. The audience went wild, and Aomine smirked.

_There’s really no limit to him, is there? Can he copy Murasakibara and Akashi too? What about Kagami? The guys not us, but he's at our level, can Kise perfect copy him?_

Aomine wanted to play Kise again; his whole body was itching to play him. He wondered what it would be like, going one-on-one against the entire Generation of Miracles, at once, all the best players, all the best moves.

_He’s going to be unbeatable soon, at this rate… even I -_  

And then Aomine’s train of thought was cut short as a sudden rage flared within him.

_That son of a bitch!_

He should have expected that Haizaki would resort to low tricks. Kise barely showed that he’d been injured, but Aomine saw that accidental ‘misstep’ of Haizaki’s, and the way Kise’s movements changed, ever so slightly. 

_That was the same leg, during the match with me…_

He needn't have worried too much about the outcome. Kaijou won, because even injured, Kise’s talent was on a different league when compared to Haizaki’s. The blonde finished the match with a Murasakibara-block and final dunk in the last minute, sending the crowd wild.  

But Aomine had a bad feeling about the entire situation nonetheless, and he wasn’t about to let Haizaki try something on Kise again, especially when the blonde was injured.

“Leave without me,” he told Satsuki, heading towards the Kaijou locker room.

 

* * *

 

“Aominecchi?” 

Kise - who had his arm around that dratted Kasamatsu - looked rather surprised to see him. 

“What are you doing here?” Kasamatsu asked sharply, and the rest of the Kaijou boys seemed to glower at him as well.

Aomine sighed, moving away from the door so that they could enter their locker room.

“I wanted to speak to Kise. Alone, if you don’t mind,  _senpai_.” 

Kise looked confused at this; Aomine never addressed anyone with ‘senpai’; but Kasamatsu, noticing his mocking tone, just scowled.

“You don’t need my permission,” he scoffed, removing his arm from Kise’s waist and pushing him into Aomine, who caught him, almost instinctively. 

Kise allowed Aomine to hold him, and Aomine revelled in the feeling for a few moments. It had been months since he had been close to Kise like this.  

“A-Aominecchi?” Kise asked tentatively, peering it at him from under ridiculously long eyelashes. 

Aomine swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to ignore the squirming in his stomach. Stupid Kise still had that same stupid effect on him, even after all this time. 

“What happened out there? With Haizaki?” he asked, finally meeting Kise’s gaze. 

Their first proper conversation in months, and it would be about Haizaki. Aomine groaned inwardly and waited for Kise to brush off the injury and act like nothing was wrong. 

“Ah, it was nothing,” Kise predictably waved him off, before grinning charmingly. “I’m so honored Aominecchi came to see my match though~” 

Aomine rolled his eyes; Kise probably didn’t mean to since it was just a natural state of his being, but somehow he ended up sounding so flirtatious every time he opened his stupid pretty mouth. 

Aomine expected him to beg for compliments. _How was I, Aominecchi? Did I improve? Did you see my copies of you and Midorimacchi and Murasakibaracchi?_

Kise didn’t though, and Aomine ploughed on, slightly disappointed. 

“Answer my question, Kise. What happened with Haizaki?” 

“Ah, I don’t quite know,” Kise muttered. “I still think he holds a grudge against me from Teikou…” 

“So that - ” Aomine gestured at Kise’s swollen, bandaged leg. 

“Ah, it’s not a big deal, I slipped~” 

“Sure you did,” Aomine growled, seeing through his lie right away. 

“Aominecchi?” Kise asked, as Aomine walked him to the locker room and released him gently. “Where are you going?”

“For a walk.” 

“Aominecchi - wait - if you’re going after him - don’t - ” Kise began frantically, but Aomine ignored him and walked off.

 

* * *

 

Despite his rough and somewhat gangster-like appearance, Aomine had never been the violent type.

 But Haizaki, well… really, in Aomine’s opinion, Haizaki had it coming to him since middle school.

When Haizaki’s face connected with his punch, he felt a surge of satisfaction, not unlike when dunked a basket over a particularly aggravating opponent’s head. 

_That was long overdue_ , Aomine thought to himself. He was tempted to land a few more punches (revenge for the humiliation Haizaki had put Kise through at Teikou) but held himself back, stalking off.

 

* * *

 

Kise found him later that night: fuming as he punched a wall to get rid of some of his excess anger. 

“Aominecchi!” Kise cried, limping up to him.

“Kise.” Aomine’s head snapped back, and he was at Kise’s side immediately, wrapping an arm around his waist to support him. “What the heck are you doing out here alone, where are your senpai and the rest of your teammates?” 

Kise ignored him, his fingers curling against Aomine’s wrist. Aomine tried to yank his hand away, but Kise’s grip was strong.

“Aominecchi… what did you do?!” Kise sounded horrified. 

Deciding there was no point beating around the bush, Aomine bit out angrily, “Don’t look at me with that kind of face, Kise, he’s been asking for it since middle school. My only regret is that I didn’t beat him up sooner.”

“Did you hurt him badly?” 

“Not nearly bad enough, and why the fuck are you so concerned, baka?! He screwed you over the most!” 

“What if he tells the authorities?! You could get banned for fighting with another athlete!” 

“He’s too terrified of Akashi to pull shit like that, and besides, he has no proof it was me.” 

“But - but your hand! You shoot with this hand…” Kise sounded so mournful that Aomine couldn’t help but crack a smile as he cuffed him on the head.

“As if an injury like that can stop me. If anything, I revel in handicaps. It’s not like I’ll be playing against anyone that could actually stand a chance against me anytime soon.”

“Ah. Okay. Right.” Kise nodded, suddenly going silent.

Aomine wanted to say more, wanted to tell him, _it’s not like I’ll be playing you anytime soon. If it was you, you’d stand a chance. You’ve improved, you’ve improved so much that it scares me. I don’t even know if I could win against you anymore but I still want to play you, so bad that it hurts._

 He didn’t. Instead, he asked: “Where’s the rest of your team at?”

“Hm? Oh, Kaijou? They’re at the takoyaki place, I told them to go ahead without me.”

“I’ll drop you there.” 

“Ahh, Aominecchi, that’s fine, you really don’t need to.”

“Shut up and let’s go.” 

They walked along in relative silence, the tension rather thick, before Kise finally spoke up. 

“I kind of wish I had seen it though.” 

“Huh?”

“Seen you beat up Haizaki,” Kise admitted. “I wish I had seen it. I think I would have liked seeing that.” 

Aomine smirked. “I’m sure you would have.” 

“Did you get his face?”

“Sure did. Punched him real good.”

Kise laughed. “I guess it’ll be hard for him to get girls for awhile with that.” 

“Please, any girl who goes with him has clearly been paid for.” 

Kise snickered at this, and Aomine felt a smile pulling at his lips as well, and continued. “At least he’s learnt his lesson now.”

“And that is?”

“Not to mess with y-anyone. On the court,” Aomine quickly covered up, but he noticed Kise’s smile widen out of the corner of his eye. “I’d never forgive anyone who tainted a proper game of basketball by using sick tactics like that.”

“Hmm, Aominecchi’s so cool~” Kise said airily, and Aomine felt his cheeks heat up. Had he been too transparent?

They reached the takoyaki place, and Aomine pulled his arm away from Kise. 

“Do you want to join?” Kise asked.

“Your Kaijou celebration dinner?” Aomine shook his head. “I’ll pass. Besides, your senpai hates me.”

“Kasamatsu-senpai?” Kise raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think he hates you, he just pretends to be mean to everyone at first, but once you get to know him he’s a real softie - ”

“Yeah, yeah,” Aomine cut him off, not wanting to hear him rave about Kasamatsu. “Anyways, I’ll see you around. Good luck against Seirin.”

Kise stopped him, his hand on Aomine’s wrist again. His thumb brushed across Aomine’s bruised knuckles, and Aomine felt a current of electricity run up his arm at Kise’s soft touch.

“Get Momoicchi to wrap this up properly for you,” Kise murmured. 

“I will.” 

“Aominecchi.” 

“Hm?”

Kise’s eyes crinkled and he tilted his head, offering him a genuine smile, the kind that made Aomine’s heart flutter wildly.

“Thank you.” 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Aomine wrenched his hand out of Kise’s grasp. “It’s not like I did it for you, I told you, I can’t stand guys who fuck around on the court.” 

Kise’s eyes twinkled. “Aominecchi, I was thanking you for coming to check on me after the match and looking after me…”

“Oh, right.” Aomine grunted, feeling his cheeks flush and his heartrate speed up as Kise gazed at him, clearly amused.

_It’s just Kise. Stupid fucking Kise who used to follow you around like a puppy in middle school!_  

Stupid sexy Kise who he had entertained more than one wet dream of, and who had gotten even hotter since back then.

“It was nice seeing you again,” Kise said sweetly, but it sounded like he was laughing at him.

“Whatever, just take care of yourself better, idiot. I can’t be expected to baby you around, you know.”

“Alright~”

Aomine walked away, his heart pounding rapidly and realized that despite the time and the distance, when it came to Kise… nothing had changed. If anything, seeing him again made Aomine realize how much worse it had become.

 

* * *

 

Aomine respected and admired Kuroko and Kagami more than he would ever admit out loud.

And Yet. Watching the Seirin versus Kaijou match, he only felt regret.

For one thing, he shouldn’t have cast away Kuroko so carelessly, the way he had. He should have trusted in the boy’s talent. 

And Kise… Kise was unbelievable.

 He weaved out of their moves seamlessly - Aomine, Akashi, Murasakibara, Aomine again.

Aomine felt a burst of pride when he realized that Kise was using his form the most, that it was what the blonde chose to turn to when he was cornered.

 Unfortunately, Kuroko seemed to realize that too.

 Even though Seirin was a stronger team than Kaijou overall, Seirin wouldn’t have stood a chance had Kise not been injured.

But Kise was injured, and, Aomine realized, guilt roiling in his stomach, that the injury was from the time he’d play him in the Interhigh, exacerbated then by Haizaki. 

_I should have punched that fucker a few more times._

The game progressed on, but even with his injury, Kise fought bravely.

_They’ll never beat Kise_ , Aomine said to himself.  _Even if they managed to catch me by surprise that one time, they'll never beat Kise._  

He was right.

Even with Kagami and Kuroko and all of Seirin teaming up against Kaijou, they couldn’t defeat it’s ace.

It was only once Kise was pulled out - practically in tears - that Seirin gained a lead.

And yet, when Kise entered the match again, he pulled the score back up single-handedly.

Aomine didn’t think he had been prouder in his life.

But then Kuroko and Kagami managed to score last minute, with a buzzer beater, just as Kise’s leg began to finally give way.

In the end, they hadn’t been able to beat Kise; the blonde alone had been unstoppable for the he had been in the court.

But they beat Kaijou, and that was what counted.  

Aomine’s heart clenched as he saw Kise crumple, his teammates rushing to his side to support him, hold him up. They were hugging him and ruffling his hair, comforting the baby of their team, their ace, their injured genius.

He was Kaijou’s hero, after all.

In fact, he was the hero of the match; the entire stadium had been cheering him on. Somehow, Kise had managed to gather the entire crowd’s support, and Seirin - the underdogs - had turned into the villains. 

When Kaijou lost, Kise took it as his own defeat, and the crowd seemed to suffer with him.

Both Touo and Kaijou had fallen at Seirin’s hands, had fallen to the unbreakable teamwork of Kuroko and Kagami.

But to Aomine, something about Kise’s loss felt more bitter than his own.

As they stood up, he nodded at Momoi again. She understood, and quietly left without him.

 

* * *

 

Aomine waited in the corridor for over forty minutes. The entire Kaijou team had stayed in their locker room, commiserating together about their defeat, cheering up Kise… whatever it was they were doing.

Aomine didn’t feel like intruding.

The team eventually filed out one by one, despondent, shoulders slumped, trudging through the corridors.

He caught sight of Kasamatsu, but was surprised that Kise wasn’t with him.

Knowing Kise, the blonde would have probably acted like he was alright and told the rest of the team to go without him.

Taking a deep breath, Aomine pushed open the door and entered the locker room.

Kise was seated on a bench, alone, in the empty, dark locker room, his face obscured by bangs. He raised his head at the sound of footsteps. Aomine froze.

“Ao-Aominecchi?” 

Kise’s voice cracked as he looked up at him out of watery, red-rimmed eyes. Tear tracks ran down his cheeks, and he was sniffling pitifully.

The sight made Aomine felt as if he had been punched in the gut.

He took a step towards Kise, swallowing the lump in his throat at the sight of seeing the blonde look so sad, so defeated, so vulnerable.

“Why aren’t you with your senpai?” he asked softly.

“I - I just wanted - to be alone.” Kise’s voice trembled and Aomine sat down besides him on the bench, wondering what to say.

“How’s your leg?” he asked, noticing that it had been heavily bandaged.

“It’ll heal. But I can’t - I can’t play for - an entire month.” 

Aomine couldn’t help but sigh with relief. “That’s still not so bad. It could have been worse.” 

“I - I guess,” Kise mumbled, staring at his feet despondently. 

Aomine wracked his head - there had to be something he could say, something that would make Kise stop looking so heartbreakingly miserable.

“An entire month, huh. I guess I should be grateful,” he finally said, and Kise turned to look at him, confused.

“Wh-what do you mean?” he asked, his chin quivering. 

Aomine reached out to ruffle his soft golden spikes. 

“I mean, I have an entire month to train before our next one-on-one. I’ll be needing it, if I’m going to kick your ass again.”

Kise stared at him then, golden eyes growing wide. 

“A-Aomine-cchi…” he sounded so shocked, and then suddenly, tears were dripping down his cheeks again.

It was the best kind of thing that Aomine - or anyone for that matter - could have said to him then.

Overwhelmed, Kise burst into tears. Aomine reached out with an arm, wrapping it around Kise’s shoulders, before awkwardly pulling him into a hug.

Kise buried his face in Aomine’s chest, his hands clutching at Aomine’s shirt as he cried. 

“You’re getting my tshirt wet, baka,” Aomine told him, but he held him there, patting the soft golden head, feeling something warm blossom within him.

After a few moments, he shoved Kise off, feeling rather shy about the entire thing. Kise sniffled, rubbing at his eyes.

“You look like a moron,” Aomine informed him, and Kise gave him a watery, but genuine smile.

“Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi beat both of us, then,” he said. 

“Tetsu’s really grown. I’m starting to think I - I was wrong about him. In middle school, I was an asshole to him.”

“Kurokocchi isn't the only one,” Kise mumbled, but Aomine pretended not to hear.

“Bakagami’s good too. Strong enough to be one of us, I’d say. I’m surprised you haven’t tried copying him yet.”

“I’m not that familiar with his style yet,” Kise said. “I’ve only seen him play up-close three or four times, and regular copy wouldn’t work for him. I’d have to use perfect copy and that takes a while.”

“You have a month,” Aomine pointed out.

“To stalk Seirin practice sessions?” Kise laughed. “No thanks.” He pouted then. “Aominecchi will get so good in a month. I’ll have no chance.”

“Like that’ll matter after the first match, all you seem to do nowadays is copy me anyways.”

Kise brightened. “That’s true. Copying Aominecchi does seem to come to me the easiest.”

“Oi, that wasn’t an invitation, moron,” Aomine snapped, though feeling rather flattered at the admission that Kise preferred his style over all of the others’. 

“It wasn’t?” Kise asked innocently. “Well, I guess I could practice shooting accuracy too.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Aomine said, wrapping his arm around Kise again for support, and helping him up.

“Ah, Aominecchi, I think I’ll just call myself a taxi today.”

 

* * *

 

When the taxi came, Aomine helped Kise into it, before sliding in himself and giving the driver his own address. 

“Ehh, Aominecchi, but our houses are in opposite directions,” Kise whined. “Are you trying to get a free ride home off of me?”

“My house is ten minutes away from here, yours is thirty. It obviously makes more sense that we stay at mine.”

Kise’s eyes widened. “We…?”

“Do you think I’ll let you fuck up your stupid leg more by falling down the stairs or something moronic like that? You’re sleeping over, dumbass.”

And with that it was settled. Aomine was surprised by how little Kise argued with him after that.

 

* * *

 

Aomine steadfastly averted his eyes as Kise walked out of the shower, dripping wet, only in a towel. So he hadn’t exactly accounted for that part of Kise staying over…

“Ne, Aominecchi, lend me one of your tshirts,” Kise said, raking his dripping bangs out of his eyes in some kind of ridiculous pose that was more suited to the front page of a gravure magazine rather than Aomine’s fucking bedroom.

Still not looking (which took a lot of self-control, but it’s not as if Aomine hadn’t seen those glorious abs in the frequent Kise-inserts of Horikita Mai’s photobooks), Aomine yanked open a drawer and pulled out a fresh tshirt and pair of shorts, tossing them over his head at Kise.

Kise wandered back into the bathroom, leaving behind the scent of something citrusy - he had carried his own toiletries after all, since the gymnasium had showers, though Aomine wondered why the idiot didn’t have a change of clothes; perhaps he was saving them for the next day.

Still, that meant that when Aomine went for a bath, the bathroom smelled entirely too delicious and like Kise, and he had to turn the knob to icy cold as his mind was assaulted with images of Kise, naked and wet, under the very same shower.

He came out (also in a towel, and no he wasn’t trying to show off or impress anyone) to find Kise sitting on the floor, leaning against the foot of his bed, engrossed with the new NBA game on his playstation.

“Aominecchi, at least play me one-on-one here!” Kise cried, not sparing him a glance.

Aomine threw on a shirt and some shorts over his boxers (he normally slept in just boxers but he wasn’t going to risk that with Kise sleeping over, especially since the likelihood of unfortunately-timed boners had increased greatly in Kise's presence) and sat down on the bed. 

His bed was a double bed, and Aomine idly wondered why Kise had chosen to sit on the floor.

Kise tossed him a controller, and Aomine reset the game, selecting his team.

Five minutes later and Kise had been destroyed thoroughly in a way that he hadn't been since their very first one-on-one back when Kise had just gotten into first-string at Teikou. 

“You really suck,” Aomine commented.

“The controls are all different!” Kise wailed. “And the speed and timing is slower than what I’m used to.” 

“Obviously you idiot, it’s a new version. Have you never played this one before?”

“Noooo, I haven’t! It just takes some getting used to. Here, play me again!”

 

* * *

  

Kise lost the next round too, but by a narrower margin.

“I’m getting the hang of it!” he said joyfully.

During the third game, he kept peeking over his shoulder. Aomine raised an eyebrow at him, tilting his controller up so Kise couldn’t see what he was doing. “No way. Not letting you copy your way out of this.” 

“At least give me the guidebook so I can read up the combinations!” Kise whined. “They’re all different.”

 “Stop making excuses,” Aomine scoffed, as his player crossed over Kise’s defender to land a layup.

 

* * *

  

After his third victory, he grew bored, and tossed Kise the guidebook. Kise bent over it excitedly, fiddling with the controller.

Aomine scooted to the edge of his bed so that his legs were on either side of Kise, his knees brushing the blonde’s shoulders. Kise didn’t shy away from the proximity - they had always been close during middle school - and Aomine rested his chin on top of Kise’s head, looking over onto the controller.

“No, you’re pressing x too hard, you’re supposed to just tap it once and then press down on y… yeah…” Aomine gave his feedback while Kise mashed at the controllers. He breathed in the intoxicating scent of Kise’s hair.

It had been so long, too long, since they had been close like this.

In middle school he had always been draping himself casually all over Kise and Kise had allowed it - maybe even liked it, given his moments of hero-worship. After all, who doesn’t like attention from the one they admire.

But Kise had changed. He had grown up. The fact that he was still acting the same with Aomine was more of a relief than Aomine had ever expected it to be.

They stayed like that, Aomine leaning on Kise, his arms draped loosely over his knees and around Kise’s neck. 

_He’s straight,_ Aomine reminded himself. _He’s straight. I don’t want to weird him out. Besides, he probably has a girlfriend or something._

Kise didn’t seem to mind though. Kise had never minded, not when it was him.

_Probably because he’s straight and doesn’t see anything wrong with it._

“Ahh, I got it!” Kise cheered, as his player made a shot from behind the net.

“That was a fluke, you were just button-mashing,” Aomine was quick to tell him.

“Yeah well,” Kise turned his head slightly, giving Aomine a bright smile. “Formless playing works here too, I guess.”

Aomine whacked him on the head for that and Kise sulked.

“I’m injured.”

“It’s your foot that’s injured, not your head. Besides, your head’s messed up enough already.”

“Aominecchi, so mean!” Kise pouted, though his eyes were sparkling.

He’d missed this, Aomine could tell. Kise had missed the closeness, the banter. Aomine knew because he’d missed it too.

“Hm, let’s see how your so-called formless play fares against me then,” Aomine challenged. “Best of three. You’ve practiced enough and read the entire guidebook to copy all the moves. You can’t blame in-game differences anymore.”

Kise’s eyes flashed. “You’re on.”

Aomine moved back, retreating to the top of his bed so he could lean against his headboard. To his surprised, Kise followed. 

“The floor is hard,” he said, as way of explanation. Aomine shrugged, and tossed him an extra pillow to lean against.

They began playing. The matches lasted a lot longer - Kise’s copy skills, whether in game or real life were not a joke - but halfway through the second one, Aomine felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

He turned slightly to be met with a crown of golden hair and a whiff of that delicious, fruity scent. 

Kise was breathing softly, his golden lashes whispering across his cheekbones. Aomine watched him for a few moments; he looked so angelic, so innocent, such a contrast to the fiery, hard player Aomine had seen on court… and even moreso to the wicked, teasing, confident Kise he had seen in the locker room almost a year ago. 

_He’s probably exhausted. He’s had a rough day, and that perfect copy must have been draining._

Aomine supposed he should get out his futon; Kise was the guest, and injured, so he should get the bed.

But the blonde against his side was so soft, and warm, and Aomine was comfortable, and he had a double bed after all, double beds were meant for two people.

He and Kise had shared the bed in middle school, was it really so wrong for them to do it again now?

_As long as I don’t dream about him again,_ Aomine thought to himself. _He stretched out with his leg, using his foot to pull up the blankets so not to disturb Kise, who was using his shoulder as a pillow. He threw the blankets over them and allowed himself to relax._

It would probably be awkward as hell when they woke up, but Aomine didn’t give a shit. He just wanted to savor this moment for as long as he could.

 

* * *

 

When Aomine awoke in the morning, he was pleasantly surprised to see that Kise was still snuggling up to him. During the course of the night they had both slid down so that they were lying horizontal. Aomine was on his back, and Kise was on his side, sharing the same pillow, his head buried in the crook of Aomine’s neck, their legs tangled.

Aomine urged himself not to read too much into it. Kise had always been the cuddly type, even in middle school. He wasn’t particularly selective either: Aomine remembered a time during their training camp when Kise awoke them all with his wailing after Kuroko had elbowed him in the middle of the night (Aomine’s respect for Kuroko had soared), and another time when Midorima had turned red and spluttered and complained for a full five minutes before Aomine had taken pity on him (or maybe it had been a tinge of jealousy) and hauled a sleeping Kise off. 

He had probably just mistake Aomine for a pillow or his teddy bear (because Aomine knew that Kise had a teddy bear, something he had teased him ruthlessly for at Teikou).

He decided not to get out of bed just then, despite the sunlight filtering through the windows. He loved his naps after all. Angling his head slightly so that it was closer to Kise’s, Aomine allowed his eyes to flutter shut again.

 

* * *

 

When he awoke the second time, Kise was stirring against him. Aomine watched, transfixed, as golden eyes cracked open, blinking.

Golden met blue, and Kise’s eyes widened slightly. 

“Ao-mine-cchi?” his voice was heavy with sleep, and he stifled a yawn, rubbing his eyes.

Aomine shifted away from him, tearing his eyes away from the sight.

_He’s cute. He’s too fucking cute, he has no right to be that cute this early in the morning._  

“Sleep well?” he asked, swallowing hard and ignoring the niggling thought in his mind that was telling him that this was a sight that he wanted to wake up to every morning.

Aomine had accepted that he was sexually attracted to Kise, but anything more than that, he wasn’t ready to accept.

“Mm.” Kise nodded, still sleepy. “Aominecchi?”

“Yeah.”

There was an awkward silence after that, until Aomine finally slid out of the bed. “So what do you want for breakfast?”

 

* * *

 

For the next month, Kise was banned from playing basketball entirely. Aomine, however, began attending Touo practices, much to Momoi’s delight.

He hadn’t really had a choice the first time. Wakamatsu had texted him an image of one of his Mai-chan photobooks, held perilously close to a candle. 

**Come to practice right now, or we’re burning Mai-chan.**  

Aomine had bolted, and reached Touo in record time. 

He didn’t care all that much if they burnt the damn book, but there was a particularly pretty insert of Kise (even in glitter and ridiculous animal paint, the blonde looked hot) and Aomine did not want anyone by chance flipping through and discovering it by accident.

He glowered at Momoi after rescuing his magazine. Clearly, she had put Wakamatsu up to it, and had stolen the damn thing from Aomine’s bedroom.

Aomine should have been more worried that the pinkette had discovered his secret Mai-chan photobook stash, but he figured she wasn’t nosy or bored enough to flip through all of them and discover the true reason he’d kept the books. 

 

* * *

 

The relationship between him and Kise improved surprisingly quickly. Though Kise couldn’t play for the first month, Aomine saw him once a week or so for lunch or a movie or whatever they could do that didn’t involve playing basketball.

It was weird, at first - hanging around Kise and not playing a single one-on-one - but Aomine didn’t mind.

Though Teikou often came up during their conversations, both of them steered clear from the topic of their graduation, and the weeks that led up to it. Aomine half-expected Kise to ask him why he’d suddenly began pushing the blonde away at the end of middle school, but Kise never did, and Aomine was grateful.

When Kise’s leg finally healed, Aomine ditched practice (he had showed up every day for a month, and he knew Satsuki knew the reason and would forgive him) and showed up at Kaijou.

Kasamatsu glared at him, but Kise jogged up, eyes sparkling.

“Aominecchi! What are you doing here?”

“Are you done with practice?”

“Yes, we just got done.”

“So that means you’re warmed up.”

“Huh?”

“For a one-on-one.”

“Wh-what?! Right now?!”

“Don’t tell me your forgot.” Aomine glared at him. “We said we’d play once you’d healed.”

“But - but I just got back on the court!” Kise spluttered.

“Your leg is fine, right?”

“Yes but - ”

“So stop being dumb.” Aomine flung a ball at his face, and Kise yelped, ducking it just in time.

“Don’t be too hard on him, today’s his first time playing after the leg injury,” Kasamatsu said, jogging up to the pair.

Aomine levelled the older boy with a glare. “I never went easy on him when it was his first time playing basketball ever. You think some lame injury is going to stop me?”

Kise grinned at this, and they played, though only for thirty minutes. Aomine beat him this time, and Kise was exhausted by the end of it.

“I’m sorry - ” he gasped out. “I haven’t - exercised - at all - my stamina - is really low - ”

“Whatever,” Aomine cut him off. “Stop babbling and just show me next time.”

Kise stared at him, as Aomine tossed him a water bottle. “Come on, let’s get ice cream. To celebrate your recovery.”

Kise raised an eyebrow. “You’re paying?” he asked incredulously.

Aomine smirked. “Just this once.”

 

* * *

 

By the time spring rolled around, Aomine and Kise were ending pretty much every match with a draw.

Aomine had the advantage that he was a bit taller, and had more muscle. He was also faster. Kise was more flexible though, and once he had recovered his stamina, he tired less easily than Aomine.

Kise also had the advantage of perfect copy, where he could pretty much use any of the Miracle’s moves, though he soon began to avoid it in one-on-one’s with Aomine. The downside of the perfect copy was that it exhausted him, and since their one-on-one’s tended to run on for quite a long period of time, it was pointless. The moment Kise lost his energy, Aomine would destroy him. To his credit, Kise had managed to extend his usage of the perfect copy to a full fifteen minutes.

Aomine didn’t lose even once… but he was similarly finding it impossible to beat Kise.

For one thing, he had found it impossible to enter the zone against Kise. He didn't know why; against Kagami he had entered it so effortlessly, so naturally. And yet against Kise - even though he was pushing himself and his body to his limits - he hadn't been able to enter it even once. 

He was also finding it increasingly hard to control himself around the blonde, and each basketball game usually ended with Aomine desperately trying to hide a raging boner.

Fortunately, Kise was so self-absorbed and airheaded that he never noticed, and Aomine would either keep it in his pants until he got home, or, if absolutely necessary, take a quick wank in the toilets.

 

* * *

 

There was a mob of squealing girls outside Kaijou when Aomine showed up one day.

He’d skived off Touou practice (again, Momoi would probably give him hell for it later, that and the fact he’d ignored her calls and texts) and had, out of impulse, taken the train to Kaijou.

He knew Kise’s schedule fairly well by now (given the amount they texted) and was itching for a good one-on-one.

_What’s he doing outside,_ Aomine wondered, searching for Kise’s signature golden head amongst the mob - which was he noted, smaller than usual.

_Is he losing his charm? Aomine wondered. No, can’t be, he’s only gotten hotter. Maybe they got bored of running after him every single day…_

There was still no sign of Kise, but another boy - looking to be around their age - extricated himself from the crowd.

“I’d love to take photos with you all later,” he said, shooting the swooning, blushing girls a dazzling smile. “But I have someone I need to see.”

Aomine stared at him in shock for a few moments. That charming but obviously fake smile, sickening sweet voice, wink, peace sign… it all screamed ‘Kise Ryouta’.

The boy was also ridiculously attractive; over six feet tall, well-built, with wavy brown hair, chocolate eyes and a face that was maybe just a little less pretty than Kise’s. His uniform was one Aomine had never seen before - certainly not Kaijou’s.

_Who the fuck is this fruitcake? Is he one of his model friends or something?_  

Aomine realized that he had never actually met or seen any of Kise’s model friends. He vaguely knew that they existed, that Kise hung out with people from his agency once in awhile, but he had never seen or heard of anyone in particular.

_Except Mai-chan, but that was over a year ago…_  

The brunet headed towards the basketball courts, and Aomine followed him, but then paused, stopping by the door instead of entering.

“Ryouta~” the boy called, stepping into the gym.

Aomine smirked as Kise hurled the ball from halfway across the court into the net - one of Aomine’s signature moves, but flashier - but then he frowned, narrowing his eyes. 

Had that pretty boy just referred to him as Ryouta? 

_Is he a childhood friend, that they’re on first-name basis?_  

Aomine had assumed - perhaps naively - that he was Kise’s closest male friend, and even _he_  had never referred to Kise by his first name. In fact, Aomine had never heard Kasamatsu or any of Kise’s other senpai call him by his first name. None of the Generation of Miracles had either, except for Akashi; but well, Akashi was Akashi and he had been calling them all by their first names since Teikou second year.

Aomine had never even imagined that Kise had any close male friends outside their basketball circle, outside of Kaijou and the Generation of Miracles. 

_Who the hell is this guy?_

In response to the brunet’s greeting, Kise turned, a smile lighting up his handsome face. He jogged towards the newcomer, not noticing Aomine skulking in the doorway. 

“Oikawacchi~” Kise greeted, signalling to Kasamatsu for a timeout. Kasamatsu seemed exasperated, but switched another player in, and Kise and the new boy - Aomine assumed his name was Oikawa - headed to sit on the bench.

_Kise added -cchi to his name. He respects this guy. They must be close…_

“Sorry, practice ended up going on for a lot longer than I expected,” Kise was saying, as Oikawa tossed him a towel. 

“That’s fine, I totally get it. Happens with us all the time too.”

Aomine raised an eyebrow. So the Oikawa person played a sport too? He’d have known if it was basketball, Kise would have mentioned having a friend who played basketball, Kuroko had introduced all of them to Kagami after all…

Kise took a few gulps out of the water bottle, as Oikawa leaned into him, pressing his chin over Kise’s shoulder.

“Ahh, Oikawacchi, I’m all sweaty and gross, get off,” Kise whined, but Oikawa didn’t budge.

“Mm, I don’t mind, I like you more when you’re sweaty and flushed.”

Aomine nearly choked.

The boy’s tone was confident, laced with arrogance, smugness and something undeniably sexual.

_Does Kise realize he’s being hit on by a guy?! He can't be that dense..._

Kise did appear to realize, as he flushed slightly, before leaning back into Oikawa and smirking, the smouldering look in his golden eyes unmistakeable and positively sinful.

“You’re not subtle at all, are you? Missed me that much, hm?”

Aomine felt like he had been punched in the chest. A random pretty boy who he had never seen, had suddenly appeared, had called Kise ‘Ryouta’ and was now flirting with Kise - it wasn’t even subtle - and Kise was blushing, and then, quite obviously, flirting back?!

It was Oikawa’s turn to blush, but he didn’t back down. “I owe you one from last night, you know.” 

Aomine panicked inwardly, mentally replaying his conversation with Kise from the previous day.

Kise had mentioned something about having plans at night, but Aomine had assumed it had meant modeling after hours. Kise was pretty to look at, but got really annoying when he started babbling about the details of his makeup routine, so Aomine usually tuned him out about then.

Kise smirked again, tilting his head more so that his lips brushed against Oikawa’s jaw. He murmured something in a tone too low for Aomine to hear, but the brunette flushed, before leaning forward to bite down on Kise’s ear, his hands wrapping around Kise from the back.

Kise reached up, threading their fingers together, and at that moment, Aomine could practically feel the pain welling up in his chest.

The two looked like they were about to kiss, until Kasamatsu - who Aomine decided was no longer his least favorite senpai - interrupted them with a cough.

“Hi, Kasamatsu-senpai!” Oikawa greeted cheekily, before winking. “Sorry for distracting Ryouta from practice.”

Kise grinned, cuddling back further into his - boyfriend? boytoy? Aomine didn’t know at that point and dreaded to find out.

“Stop flirting so shamelessly in public,” Kasamatsu chastised, and Aomine decided that Kasamatsu was a swell person, and his new personal hero.

“Ehh, but he’s so hot when he plays, I can’t keep my eyes off of him,” Oikawa said, pouting.

“See, senpai, you can’t expect me to resist that,” Kise added, before shamelessly leaning back to brush his lips against Oikawa’s. Oikawa french-kissed him back, pulling one hand away from Kise’s to flash a peace sign at Kasamatsu.  

_No…_   _no, no, no, no, no!!_

Aomine felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. Kise was kissing a boy. A boy.

_I thought you were straight!_  

The sight was agonizing to watch, and yet, Aomine couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Kasamatsu seemed to share his frustration, the older boy looking about ready to thrash them both. Oikawa and Kise finally broke apart, smiling sunnily at Kasamatsu, radiating sparkles and rainbows and enough pheromones to take out an entire fangirl army.

Aomine was overcome by a weird urge to vomit, bash both of their heads in, and then maybe, possibly, go take care of the unfortunate boner that arose whenever he saw Kise turn on his charm with someone.

And after that, possibly cry in a corner.

_What the fuck is wrong with me, I’m getting off on the same thing that’s upsetting me. I must be a masochist. Also, what the fuck, Kise is into guys too?!?!_  

Eventually, Kasamatsu yanked Kise up by his jersey, out of Oikawa’s embrace.

“Senpaiiiii,” Kise whined.

“You’ve probably been too busy to notice, idiot,” Kasamatsu said, cuffing Kise on the head. “But you have another visitor.”

“Huh?” Kise straightened up. “Who?”

Kasamatsu gestured at the doorway, and Aomine cursed under his breath. There was no way to walk away from the situation now, but he wasn’t quite mentally prepared to deal with it. 

Kise’s golden eyes grew wide.

“Aominecchi?!” he yelped.

“Sup,” Aomine deadpanned, strolling into the gym, before shooting a dirty look at Oikawa. “Care to introduce me to your friend?”

The word 'friend' was dripping with so much malice that Kise visibly flinched. Kasamatsu seemed to take it as his cue to leave, giving up on making Kise return to practice. 

Oikawa stood up and beamed at Aomine. “Oikawa Tooru from Seijoh High. Setter.”

Aomine stared at him.

“Ah - um - Oikawacchi, he’s like me,” Kise said after an awkward moment. “We play basketball, not volleyball.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Oikawa stuck his tongue out sheepishly. “Oops. Then I guess… point guard would be a better way to define it, in your terms?”

“Oikawacchi, I told you not to compare positions, basketball’s really different,” Kise grumbled, but Aomine ignored them both, levelling his gaze on Kise. 

“How do you guys known each other?”

“Ah - um - ” Kise began, looking rather nervous, but Oikawa cut in, oblivious to the tension.

“We met last summer, actually! It was really funny how we became friends, basically, I was being followed by a bunch of fangirls and they were really persistent, and then well, Ryouta just showed up, and they all just ran after him instead, but he was so charming and good at dealing with them - ”

“Whatever,” Aomine said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He continued to stare at Kise. “I came here to ask you for a one-on-one, but I guess you’re busy. Later.”

“Oh, _you’re_ the friend that Ryouta always plays one-on-ones with!” Oikawa said. “Sorry for stealing him away from you!”

He fixed Aomine with a look that was more smug than sorry, his chocolate eyes flashing, and Aomine realized that like Kise - here was someone who could be quite intense under their flowery exterior.

Aomine’s fist itched. He never thought there would be a face he wanted to punch more than Haizaki’s but at that moment, Oikawa Tooru was definitely more annoying.

Without another word, Aomine turned and stalked out of the building.

“Wait - I - I’ll drop you to the gate,” Kise cried, running after him. “Oikawacchi, do you mind?”

“Take your time,” Oikawa said languidly. “I’ll wait for you here.”

“You don’t need to,” Aomine grunted once Kise had caught up with him outside the gym, “go back to your boytoy.”

“No, you came all the way here, it’s the least I can do,” Kise said, catching up with him. “Why - why didn’t you text before coming?”

Aomine shrugged. “D’nno. Just decided randomly.”

“I - I really do want to play one-on-one with you, Aominecchi, it’s just - ”

“You can’t keep your boyfriend waiting, I get it.”

“I - he’s not my boyfriend.”

Aomine finally turned around and faced him this time, raising an eyebrow. Kise looked unusually nervous.

“Not your boyfriend? I’m not fucking blind, Kise, I saw what was happening back there. He even called you _Ryouta_.” Aomine tried to contain the anger in his voice, but failed miserably.

“Yes, but we…” Kise broke off, hesitating.

“But you what? Spit it out, I haven’t got forever.”

“We’re more like… friends with benefits?” Kise said, his voice small, refusing to meet Aomine’s eyes. “We’re not - romantically involved - or anything. His school is actually really far away. We just - we just hooked up - last summer - ”

“Last summer?” Aomine snorted. “Then what the hell is he doing here now, with you, at your gym?”

“He - he’s here for a volleyball tournament and - ”

“Yeah, it sure looked like you guys were going to play volleyball,” Aomine sneered.

“Wh-what are you getting at?” Kise looked uncertain as he twisted his hands together. “He - he’s really here for a tournament, we just happened to bump into each other last night and - ”

“Hooked up? Again?”

“Well. Um. Yeah,” Kise mumbled, staring at the ground.

_Why the fuck is he avoiding my gaze? I’m the one who should be avoiding looking at him!_  

“So he _is_ your boytoy,” Aomine spat.

“Um… I guess… kind of?” Kise flushed, still looking rather worried about something; Aomine couldn’t fathom what.

“Well, boyfriend, boytoy, whatever, it’s all the same to me, I couldn’t care less,” Aomine said shrugging, and he began walking again.

“Aominecchi - wait!”

Kise sounded rather frantic, and despite himself, Aomine turned around.

“What?” 

_Just let me go home already, damnit, so I can wallow in my own fucking misery._

“I - I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Kise said in a small voice.

“Why? It’s not like I care about who you date - or fuck.”

Kise flinched at this, and shook his head, his eyes shining as he looked up at Aomine through his bangs. “No, I mean - he’s a boy and - ”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Aomine said, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide his clenching fists. “Also, what’s up with that. I thought you liked girls.”

There was an awkward silence, until Kise said quietly: “Aominecchi, I’m - I’m bi…”

The words hit Aomine like a ton of bricks. 

“Right,” Aomine said, nodding dumbly. “You’re not straight. You’re _bi_ ,” he bit out viciously.   

_He’s fucking bisexual! All this time I thought he was straight! I thought he was straight so I kept my distance because I didn’t want him to be disgusted with me… and now this…_

Kise flinched at the venom in his voice, his face crumpling.

“Aominecchi…” he sounded like he was on the verge of tears, and Aomine snapped out of his mental monologue, alarmed.

“Oi - what the hell - Kise - why are you looking at me like that?!”

“I - I’m sorry if it - disgusts you, Aominecchi,” Kise said, voice trembling.

Aomine was lost. “Where did that come from?!”

“I know - I know it must come to a shock to you. That I - that I like - guys too. I - I know it’s not what you’d - normally expect - and I’m sorry if it seems - weird or creepy - ”

Aomine stared at the blonde, realization dawning upon him. He wanted to clobber Kise, and then himself.

“Wait. Just wait. Why would you think I’m disgusted?”

Kise looked up at him, eyes wide and lip quivering. “Y-you don’t have to hide it. I can see it in your face, you know.”

“See what in my face?!” 

“You’re so mad at me, Aominecchi! I’ve never seen you so mad - at me - ever! ”

Aomine didn’t know what to say to that, and Kise went on. “I can understand if you’re - grossed out and stuff… I’m sorry…”

He sounded so hurt, and Aomine shoved his hands into his pockets, sighing.

_Of course you’d misunderstand, idiot! I’m not disgusted at you! I’m not grossed out. I’m not even mad that you’re bi! I’m mad that you’re bi and that you didn’t come to me! I’m pissed that you’re hooking up with that fucking volleyball pretty boy, and not me. I’ve been your best friend since middle school, and maybe we drifted awhile for a few months, but how is it that you could choose someone else over me, how dare you like someone else more than me…_

“- and I didn’t know how I was supposed to tell you or anyone else for that matter. I swear, I never meant to deceive you though!” Kise’s eyes were shining, and Aomine stared at him blankly, having tuned out half of whatever Kise had been saying. 

There was a prolonged silence. Kise looked like he was about to cry.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Aomine finally asked, opting to play dumb.

“Huh?”

“You’re such a moron. Why would I be disgusted or grossed out, or any of that other crap that you said?”

“Because - I don’t know - you’re straight - and maybe it creeps you out?”

_I’m not straight,_ Aomine wanted to yell at him. _I’m gay, I’m gay for you Kise, I’ve been gay for you for over a year, maybe even longer but I never realized it!_

“That’s just - that’s a really fucked up way of thinking,” Aomine said instead, whacking him on the head. “Stop deciding things like that for yourself.” 

“But - but you seem so angry…”

“Of course I’m angry! Baka!” Aomine exploded at him. “I fucking ditched my practice and took a forty minute train ride to come all the way out here. Satsuki’s going to shriek my head off when I get back for skipping practice and ignoring her calls, and Wakamatsu will bitch more than usual. I was sick of playing with them and wanted to get rid of some energy playing a one-on-one but you’re too busy flirting with some summer sex friend to play me!”

The smile Kise gave him was blinding; he looked absolutely delighted, and also relieved.

“What the heck are you smiling about?! Do you want to die, Kise??” Aomine growled. 

“I’m so sorry, Aominecchi!” Kise said, though he was still grinning like an idiot, and didn’t look sorry at all. “Maybe you can try Kagamicchi today? I’ll make it up for you, I promise!”

“You’d better,” Aomine grumbled. “It’s not just Satsuki and Wakamatsu, Imayoshi’s going to be pissing off too, it was his second-last practice before the seniors retire from the team you know.”

“I’ll buy you dinner,” Kise promised.

“For the next week.”

And then he stormed away, trying to drown out Kise’s laughter from behind him. To be honest, he didn’t think he’d want to face Kise now; he didn’t think he had it in him to.

For one thing, the fact that Kise liked boys just opened up a whole realm of possibilities that Aomine didn’t have the nerve to consider.

And secondly, the fact that the little bitch had chosen some volleyball player over him…

_To be fair, he thought you were straight_ , a rational part of his mind - sounding eerily like Satsuki - piped up.   

_Still, he didn’t have to go whoring himself out!_ The angrier part of Aomine’s mind - which sounded more like his own voice - shot back.

_But it’s not whoring if he’s been loyal, he’s single and he’s allowed to do what he wants,_ the Satsuki-voice reasoned.  

Besides, there was no proof that Kise would even want him, even if he knew Aomine was interested.

Kise - from what Aomine had seen of his dating/love life - seemed to go for the ridiculously attractive types: pretty boys and models with perfect features and the kinds of faces that made the front pages of fashion and idol magazines - just like Kise himself. Aomine wasn’t any of those things. Aomine was coarse, rough, unrefined. Someone like Kise wouldn’t go for someone like him.   

_Even if he’s into guys, that doesn’t mean he’s into you. He could have made a move on you all these years, and he never once has. You’ve always been single, but he’s had Mai-chan, and now this volleyball asshole. Clearly, he’s not interested, and you need to get over him already. He’s out of your reach._

Frustrated and out of options, Aomine pulled out his phone, hammering in a number.

“Dai-chan!” Momoi’s annoyed voice shrieked at him; for real, and not in his head this time. “Where on earth have you been?! Imayoshi-senpai is livid!”

“Satsuki…” Aomine’s voice cracked slightly, and he felt his eyes stinging.

_What the fuck? No… I won’t cry! Not over stupid fucking Kise!_  

Momoi immediately caught the change in his tone, her voice softening.

“Dai-chan? What’s wrong, did something happen?”

“Come over today,” Aomine mumbled. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

 

* * *

 

“Well, thank you for finally admitting it to me,” Momoi said, when Aomine finally admitted the whole Kise thing to her.

 Well not the whole Kise thing. He left out the part about where he had walked in on Kise and Mai-chan just over a year ago, and also the part about where he jacked off to Kise’s photos. Besides, the girl was too smart for her own good. If he mentioned Mai-chan at all, she would connect the dots and figure out the kind of depraved things Aomine did with the photobooks, and even if Aomine trusted her, he did not want her knowing about his nightly activities.

“Why aren’t you more surprised?” he demanded, seeing that she seemed rather blasé and accepting of the entire thing. He had expected at least a certain amount of shrill squealing. 

“Dai-chan…” Momoi said softly. “We’ve been best friends since we were kids. I’ve always known you were gay.”

Aomine jumped up, gaping at her. “What?!”

“You just seemed so intent on denying it with your dumb photobooks, so I decided to go along with it until you told me.”

“Satsuki, what the hell?!”

“What, was I supposed to confront you about it?! You pretend like you like Mai-chan but you’ve never once checked out or even showed interest in a real girl. I figured you didn’t want people to know the truth, so I acted like I didn’t.”

“I can’t believe you…”  

“Besides, I kind of figured the real reason you hid behind those books was Ki-chan. He’s - he’s your first, isn’t he?”

“First what?”

“First love? First crush?” Momoi fluttered her eyelashes at him. “I think it’s kind of cute.”

“What - what the fuck, no! It’s not cute, Satsuki, I want to fuck him, that is all. I’m not in love or anything, god damnit.”

“Alright, alright,” she said, indulging him. “If you say so. I guess I should have figured out that Ki-chan was bi, but he was always swarmed with girls. I’d be surprised if even Akashi-kun managed to figure it out.”

“Akashi must have known, and not said anything about it.” Aomine muttered. “That bastard.”

“But you know, Dai-chan,” Momoi said thoughtfully. “If Kise is bi. And if this Oikawa is just a past summer fling, as he says, a one-time thing - ” 

“They hooked up yesterday. It’s not a one-time thing.”

“Okay, so a two-time thing! Regardless, it’s not anything serious, and besides, his school is in Miyagi, that’s far.”

“How the hell do you know that?!” 

“I googled ‘Oikawa Tooru Volleyball’ and a bunch of articles came up, his high school is Aoba Johsai, more popularly known as Seijoh, and it’s in Miyagi - ” 

“You googled Kise’s boytoy in the last five minutes after I mentioned him?!”

“Yes.”

“...you’re really overdoing it with the intel-gathering thing.”

“Dai-chan! That is _not_ the point.”

“So what is the point?”

“Aoba Johsai is far, and national volleyball tournaments in Tokyo happen once or twice a year. I’m pretty sure him and Kise just hooked up coincidentally and casually, for the heck of it.”

“Why are we still talking about that?!”

“Dai-chan... I honestly think you have a chance with Kise.”

“What the hell?!” Aomine flushed. “Oi! Satsuki, why the fuck would you say something like that?!”

“I’m serious!” Momoi said earnestly. “I just have a feeling about it. I’m good at predicting future behavior, it’s my specialty, I’ve correctly predicted many things about Kise - ”

“There’s a difference between saying he’ll be able to pull off a perfect copy in a match and saying that he’ll willingly hook up with me!”

“I know, but Dai-chan, I’m never wrong about stuff like this! I know Ki-chan pretty well too!”

“You never predicted that he was bi!”

“Yes, but now that I know it… analyzing his past interactions with you… Dai-chan, I’m not joking, I’m pretty sure Ki-chan had a crush on you for at least some of middle school,” Momoi said, her face perfectly serious. 

In spite of himself, Aomine’s heart-rate sped up at her words. “That - that is such bullshit.”

“No, really! Now that I think back on it… the both of you… you were both really into each other, it wasn’t one-sided…” 

“We were friends!” Aomine insisted.

Momoi ignored him and went on. “If anything he ran after you more, and besides you’re the one who pushed him away! Why was that, again?”

Aomine ignored the question, and bit out: “Why the fuck would Kise even like me when he could get any girl or guy he wanted!”

“But what if he wanted you! _You're_ the one he's always looked up to and chased after!”

“He just thought I was cool because I was the one person who was consistently better than him at something.”

“I think it’s more than that, Dai-chan…”

“Have you fucking seen him, Satsuki? Someone that - that fucking pretty - wouldn’t go for someone like me.”

“What?” Momoi shrieked, before going into all-out rant-mode. “Dai-chan, that’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said! For one thing, I’m sure Ki-chan cares about a lot more than just physical appearance. And secondly, have you even looked into a mirror, you big idiot! I’ve never told you this before because I didn’t want to inflate your ego, but you’re actually really attractive! Really hot, too! Maybe not in the movie-star or model way that he is, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t! If Ki-chan has the pretty boy thing going for him, you have the badass thing.”

Aomine stared at her, blinking. “Badass thing?” he repeated, confused.

“You know, like rugged hot!” Momoi cried, waving her hands around. “I don’t know! It’s like… you seem attractive in a kind of a wild, dangerous, gangster way?”

“Wild, dangerous, gangster...” Aomine repeated, still utterly bemused. “Oi, are you making fun of me?!”

“I’m not, you idiot! I’m being serious. You’d probably have a few fangirls yourself, if you didn't act so _scary_. Not an army like Kise, but I know there are girls who have crushes on you at school right now.”

“Really?” Aomine scratched his ear. “Still, Kise gets multiple confessions every day, and I’ve never been confessed to even once.”

“Well that’s partially because you're kind of intimidating and also partially because most of Touo thinks that you and I are dating.”

“You and me, really?” Aomine made a face. “Gross.”

“What do you mean gross?” she yelled at him. “I would be an awesome girlfriend, okay! Though I’d never date a stupid basketball-baka like you!”

“Yeah, yeah, but anyways, none of that matters, Kise’s too fucking popular and perfect and - ”

“What is wrong with you?!” Momoi screeched, finally losing her patience with him. “Do you even hear what you’re saying?! It doesn’t matter how popular Ki-chan is, or how many girls are in love with him! Since when have you even cared about that kind of stuff? Besides, Ki-chan isn’t perfect, and you’re the one who knows that best! You’re the one who has always teased him and picked at his faults, more than anyone else, so why are you of all people suddenly putting him on a pedestal?!

You have such an overblown, enormous ego when it comes to everything else, why is it that you suddenly start having an irrational inferiority complex when it’s about him? It’s perfectly feasible for him to have had a crush on you in middle school, and it’s perfectly feasible that he would be willing to hook up with you now. You’re just too scared to face him directly, Dai-chan!”

She breathed heavily, apparently finished with her tirade. 

“You know what, fuck it, forget I said anything,” Aomine said, standing up abruptly.  “This is bullshit, Satsuki. Kise never had a crush on me before, and there’s zero chance of anything happening between him and I now.”

“What?! Where are you going?” Momoi yelled after him as he started towards the door. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said!”

“I did, and I don’t care. You think you know us all so well, Satsuki, that you can analyze and predict everything perfectly, but you’re delusional, and I don’t want to hear any more of your delusion.”

“You know I’m right, Dai-chan! You're just too stubborn to admit it to me or yourself!” Momoi shrieked. “Where are you even going?!”

“I’m going to Seirin. Kagami said he’d be free later to play.”

“Oh, Seirin?!” Momoi’s countenance immediately brightened. “I’ll come too! Wait up!”

 

* * *

 

A week after the Oikawa incident, Imayoshi announced a Kaijou-Touo practice match during their last basketball practice.

It was to honor and celebrate the third-year’s retirement from the team with one last game, but Aomine strongly suspected that one Momoi Satsuki was behind it all, manipulating the strings (and Imayoshi himself, who probably hadn’t even realized that he’d been manipulated).

When Aomine glowered at her across the court, she just smiled back innocently.

 

* * *

 

“Oh my gosh! Who is that guy??”

“Wow, he’s hot!”

“Does he go here? That’s not our uniform!!” 

“He’s soo dreamy!!”

Aomine rolled his eyes as he surveyed the mob that had collected near the gates.

“What the fuck is going on?” Wakamatsu grunted next to him. 

“Kaijou’s here,” Aomine replied. “Well, at least Kise is.”

The Touo girls were squealing excitedly, some of them clutching magazines. Aomine fought his way to the crowd, accompanied by a disgruntled looking Imayoshi and Wakamatsu.

“I think I’ve seen him before!”

“Wait, isn’t he that famous model? Kise Ryouta?!”

“Kise Ryouta?! Kyaaaa, really!!”

“He’s here?! Kise Ryouta is here?!”

“Oh my god, I collect his photobooks!”

“I think I’m going to faint…”

“He’s even more handsome up close!”

“Do you think he’ll sign my magazine?!”

When Aomine was close enough to catch a glimpse of blonde amidst the rabble of girls, he hurled his basketball.

Kise dropped the magazine he had been signing and wailed. “Aominecchiiiii! Is that a way to greet someone?!”

“So you knew it was me?” Aomine smirked, unfazed by the killer intent that was now radiating from the gathered group of girls.

_I’m from their school and still, the moment he shows up, they take his side…_  

“Nobody else throws basketballs at my head quite like you do,” Kise said sourly. “After the twentieth time, you’d think I’d figure it out.”

“I don’t know, you look pretty stupid to me,” Aomine retorted, and Kise stuck his tongue out at him childishly.

“You deserved that,” said a rather frazzled-looking Kasamatsu, as he fought his way through the mob of girls. “You are here to play basketball, not to sign magazines and take photos with your fangirls.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Kise said sheepishly.

“You’re here for a basketball match?” an onlooking girl piped up. “Against our team?”

“Can we come watch?” another girl asked.

“No!” Aomine and Kasamatsu both yelled simultaneously, before looking at one another.

Kasamatsu leaned towards Aomine and lowered his voice. “His fangirls always show up at Kaijou and disturb practice. He starts showing off and then they scream and it’s all very distracting for the team…”

“I know, it used to happen at Teikou, until Akashi banned them," Aomine whispered back. "Plus, I think our third-years will kill him if all of Touo starts cheering for him against them during their last match."

Kasamatsu nodded in understanding, before giving Aomine a grim smile. Aomine nodded back. They seemed to have bonded, albeit grudgingly.

Kasamatsu spoke to Imayoshi, who then announced to the girls that it was a private match and nobody would be allowed to watch. Thereafter, Kasamatsu yanked Kise away by the scruff of his jacket, much to the consternation of the watching fangirls, and Aomine followed, with Imayoshi and Wakamatsu.

“Is this normal, when he’s around?” Imayoshi asked quietly. 

“Pretty normal,” Aomine grunted.

“Wow, I’m really starting to hate him,” Wakamatsu muttered under his breath. “We better win against them today.”

 

* * *

 

The Kaijou versus Touou practice match took place without any spectators, as Imayoshi had the gym temporarily closed off and doors locked from the inside.

Even without the cheering crowd, it was thrilling; as thrilling as any Interhigh or Winter Cup final.

Despite it being a practice match to celebrate the third-years, neither team had held back. Their reputations were at stake, and as the aces of the teams, both Aomine and Kise had been instructed to go all out. For Imayoshi and Kasamatsu, it was their last match as captains of the team. They wanted the match to be a win, regardless of who was the one scoring all the baskets. 

Kise was at his absolute best, tearing through Touo’s defense and using the perfect copy from early on in the game to get in consecutive baskets and stop each and every one of Touo’s attempts. He was virtually unstoppable.

“Can’t you do your zone thing?” Wakamatsu grumbled to Aomine after Kise’s third basket. “You know, what you did up against Kagami?”

“Can’t you defend properly?” Aomine shot back through gritted teeth. 

Wakamatsu had been right though. When Kise was in perfect copy mode, the only way for Aomine to stop him was by getting into the zone. Without the zone, even Aomine couldn’t do much against Kise, and his only option was to wait until Kise exhausted himself with perfect copy and ran out of stamina and energy. 

With the zone, however, Aomine was pretty confident that he had a chance at beating even Kise’s perfect copy. In fact, it was something he longed to do.

But he didn’t.

The truth was, Aomine couldn’t get into the zone against Kise, no matter how badly he wanted to.

He had been able to enter it against Kagami, when he had been wholly focused on the game, on basketball. 

But even after countless one-on-ones with Kise, Aomine had never been able to get into the zone against him, even once. Eventually, he figured out the reason. 

Though he had tried, whenever he played Kise, he had been too damn distracted.

Because Kise himself was too damn distracting.

The way Kise pulled up his jersey to wipe away sweat from his face, exposing his chiseled stomach and six-pack.

The way Kise bit his lower lip in concentration, which made Aomine want to do the same to him.

The way Kise raked a hand through sweat-drenched hair, the way beads of sweat rolled down his neck and disappeared under his Kaijou jersey.

Entering the zone was no easy feat, and one of the requirements was 100% concentration with zero distractions. But Kise and everything he did... it was all too damn distracting and it was what was preventing Aomine from getting into the zone, from playing at his true potential.

And when Aomine wasn’t playing at his true potential, he couldn’t beat Kise, who very well was; flowing through combos of Aomine-Akashi-Murasakibara-Aomine-Midorima at a rapid pace, blocking shots, stealing the ball, breaking through Touo's defenses single-handedly and slamming in basket after basket: some formless, some killer threes, some godlike dunks. 

By the end of the first quarter, Kaijou had a fifteen point lead.

“This needs to stop,” Iyamoshi said, narrowing his eyes at Aomine. “I know it’s a practice match but that doesn’t mean you have to go easy on him!” 

“I’m not going easy on him,” Aomine bit out.

“Use your zone!”

“It’s not that easy, I can’t just enter it at whim!”

_I’ve tried so many damn times, but against him, it just doesn’t work!_

Aomine grabbed the bottle that Momoi held out to him, chugging down water. He was exhausted - he hadn’t scored a single basket or managed to block most of Kise’s attempts, and still he was exhausted. Keeping up with Kise's breakneck pace alone had been exhausting.

“Dai-chan, you can’t enter the zone against Ki-chan, can you?” Momoi asked softly.

Aomine didn’t reply, and she sighed.

“With Ki-chan the way he is now, it won’t work if you aren’t at your best. Perfect copy is his version of the zone. You can’t fight his zone without yours.”

“I know that,” Aomine hissed. “It’s been ten minutes though. He won’t last more than another quarter. After that, he's over.”

“I don’t think he’s going to pull it out for another quarter,” Momoi said. “I think he’ll revert back to normal soon, and save it for the end.”

“Well then this is my chance,” Aomine muttered. “I don’t need to be in the zone to beat Kise. Without perfect copy, he doesn’t stand a chance against me.”

He walked back onto the court. Kise was standing by himself, looking eerily calm.

He turned, his bright gaze locking into Aomine’s, and Aomine felt a shiver run down his spine at the utter intensity of it.

There was always something different about Kise when he was in perfect copy mode. He seemed so focused and his intensity was frightening. His golden eyes were sharper than usual, his expression almost predatory. 

Kise landed another two baskets - a dunk and a Midorima three - before he pulled out of the zone, giving Kaijou a twenty point lead. Aomine went all-out thereafter, but even when he wasn't using perfect copy, Kise was a formidable opponent. 

Touo managed to lessen the point margin to nine point - single digits - but then just before the second quarter ended, Kise intercepted a high overhead pass from Imayoshi to Wakamatsu. Aomine raced towards him, jumping up as Kise did, expecting the blonde to steal the ball, crouch, and begin a fast dribble: they were too far from the net for him to score with a formless shot, and he wasn't in position for a Midorima-style three pointer. 

But instead, Kise arched his back and the swung his arm, whacking the ball with the flat of his palm. It went whizzing past Aomine's cheek, before hitting the board across the court, and circling the rim once before falling in with a  _whoosh_!

A whistle. 

Basket count. Kaijou's lead was back to twelve points. It was halftime. 

Aomine stared at Kise in shock. Never in his life - in any streetball match or NBA game - had he seen a shot as ridiculous as that. 

Plus Kise's form - it had been so  _different,_ so unlike anything he had ever seen in basketball. 

"What the hell was that?!" Aomine demanded, panting. "Did you invent your own style or something?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kasamatsu smack his forehead, while Kise's other senpai - Nakamura - was shaking his head in exasperation.

"Was that even allowed just now?" Wakamatsu demanded, running up. "He  _hit_ the ball!" 

"Ehhhh, of course it's allowed! Kurokocchi hits the ball too," Kise pointed out, wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist. "Only punching isn't allowed. And I didn't punch."

"What the hell  _did_ you do?" Aomine asked. "I've never seen anything like that. Could it be that you've actually graduated from copying other players' moves? It still looked pretty ridiculous, if you ask me, but - "

"Graduated from copying?" Kasamatsu snorted, walking up to them. "Give me a break. He very well copied that move. You just don't realize it because it's from another sport." 

"What sport?" Aomine asked, narrowing his eyes. 

"Volleyball," Kise replied brightly, before making a peace sign. "Oikawacchi showed it to me a week ago, it's his special jump-serve!" 

Aomine's heart sank. 

_No... no, you can't... you didn't..._

"You Volleyball-served a basketball into the net?" Wakamatsu stared at Kise, unable to believe his ears. 

"Yep! Cool, right?"

"All you Generation of Miracles all complete wackos?"

"It worked though, didn't it?" Kise flashed him a smile. "Hey, do you have bandages I can use to wrap up my leg?"

"Is it hurting?" Kasamatsu asked, alarmed.

"No, no," Kise waved him off. "It's just that I remembered that I'm supposed to keep it bound when I play an intense match."

"You're remembering that _now_ , when half the match is over?!" Kasamatsu shouted at him, whacking him on the head. "You idiot!"

"Owwww! Senpaiiii, that hurts!"

"There should be a medical kit in the locker room that will have some," Imayoshi said, pointing towards the door. "Hurry up, or we'll start the second half without you."

Aomine was fuming, glaring daggers at Kise, though the blonde didn't seem to realize, as he scampered towards the locker room. 

 

_I can't believe you! This is our sport! How dare you use his moves while playing our sport! T_ _his is basketball! How dare you pollute it with flashy moves you copied from your stupid volleyball boytoy! How dare you use Oikawa's serve to score against ME!_

He stormed after Kise. 

"Oi, where are _you_ going!" Imayoshi called, but Aomine ignored him. 

"What the hell is he so pissed off about all of a sudden?" the Touo captain grumbled. 

"Just leave him be," Momoi said placatingly. "You know him and his moods."

"We're in the middle of a match!" Kasamatsu growled. "He's as bad as Kise!" 

"Well, since both aces are out, we can just have a longer halftime, shall we?" Momoi smiled sunnily at the glowering captains. "I'm sure they'll both be back in a few minutes!"

 

 

* * *

 

Aomine burst into the locker room, seething. Imayoshi and the others were generally terrified of him when he was in a foul mood, so Aomine knew they wouldn’t be disturbed, at least for awhile.

Kise was there, adjusting the wrappings around his knee. He stood up and smirked when Aomine burst in.

“Aominecchi~” he greeted, gold eyes flashing in challenge. “You’d better pick up the pace next half, because at this rate, looks like it’s my victory~” 

“What the fuck was that last shot just now?” Aomine snarled.

“Oh that?” Kise grinned, and blushed slightly, which only adding to Aomine’s mounting wrath. “I told you, it's a volleyball serve! So this one time, Oikawacchi - he’s a service ace in volleyball and can basically aim his serves to go anywhere he wants them to - he did this really cool jump serve where he aimed so that the ball would go into the basketball net and - Aominecchi?”

Aomine didn’t know what came over him at that moment; perhaps hearing Kise rave about that dratted Oikawa - after he had the audacity to use the boy's _volleyball_ serve against  _Aomine_ in a _basketball_ match - was what finally sent him over the edge.

All the building emotions: the tension, the anger, the jealousy, the lust - which had been accumulating for over the past year, that he had desperately been trying to suppress, seemed to finally break loose. 

Aomine grabbed Kise, turning him around, and pulling him flush into his chest.

“What are you doing! Let go of me!” Kise struggled in his arms, but Aomine had a vicegrip around him and wasn’t about to let him go anytime soon.

“That is the _last_ time you say or do anything even remotely related to that goddamned sport and your fucking _Oikawacchi_ in front of me again,” Aomine snarled, his breath hot in Kise’s ear.

“Aominecchi?” Kise squeaked. "Did I upset you?!"   

“You don’t need him," Aomine hissed, sliding his hand up the front of Kise's shirt. The blonde yelped in surprise. 

"W-wait! Wh-why are you - "

"You don't need to copy his moves," Aomine cut him off, his voice harsh. "You don’t need him as your boytoy or your friend with benefits or anything.”

Aomine reveled in the feeling of taut abdominal muscles clenching under his touch, as his hand skimmed up and down Kise's stomach. 

“A-Aominecchi,” Kise said breathlessly, and the sound was music to his ears. “What are you - _ah_!”

Aomine bit down on his ear, before running his tongue along the shell, tracing down to his earlobe, and the silver earring.

Kise was warm and firm under him; Aomine’s hand explored the ridges of his abs, perfectly defined, before tracing up to outline his pectorals. Kise was squirming in his arms, but clearly not putting up _too_  much resistance: Kise was no weakling, and Aomine had loosened his grip slightly so that Kise could have broken away had he really tried.

“You have me,” Aomine breathed, his lips brushing the shell of Kise's ear. “You know you can’t compare him to me. _I’m_ the one you’ve always strived for. _I’m_ the one who’s attention you always craved, right?”

“Wait - but - you - you’re straight - ”

Aomine’s fingers brushed over a taut nipple, and he pinched. Kise let out a sharp gasp. “Wh-where are you touchi- nnngh~”

“I’m gay,” Aomine murmured, his lips and tongue moving down the side of Kise’s neck as he rolled the nipple between his thumb and index finger. He ground into Kise, his obvious erection digging into Kise’s backside, proof of his statement. “Do you feel that? I’m gay for you. I want you, I want this. I’ve wanted you for so long, I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

Kise whimpered as Aomine’s fingers pinched the other nipple, his other hand moving down to slip under the waistband of Kise’s blue Kaijou shorts.

“Aominecchi~ ” he gasped. “Wait - stop - I - ahh~ ”

“Stop talking,” Aomine ordered, high on the delicious whimpers and little noises Kise was making beneath him. He badly wanted to see the expression on his face, but that would involve flipping him around which would involve moving away, which would mean none of that sweet, intense pressure for a few moments - something Aomine wasn’t willing to relinquish just yet.

“God, Kise, you’re so fucking hot in this jersey, do you know how badly I’ve wanted to take you right here in the locker room, when you’re wearing that? Fuck, I’ve wanted - ” 

Aomine broke off, his heart pounding as he slid his hand into the front of Kise’s shorts, cupping the firm, warm, throbbing heat through Kise’s boxers.

“Ahh~” Kise let out a delicious little moan, and Aomine bit down on his shoulder.

“You’re hard already,” he noted, feeling a rush of elation. “You’re hard for me, Kise, _fuck_ \- ”

He massaged Kise’s manhood through his boxers, feeling the growing wetness of precum against the fabric, while his other hand traced up and down Kise’s chiseled chest and abs.

Finally, he moved back a few inches, so that he could flip Kise around and look at his face, pushing him back into the locker and pressing up against him. 

Kise’s face was flushed; he was blushing harder than Aomine had ever seen him, his golden eyes glazed, his lips parted. He looked completely out of control, and Aomine relished the power he had over him, squeezing down on his cock. Kise moaned and bit down on his own lip, sliding his eyes away from Aomine’s heated gaze.

“You’re so fucking sexy when you do that," Aomine growled, squeezing again, eliciting a whimper from Kise. "I don’t think you even realize how hot you are. Do you know how fucking hard it is for me to control myself around you on the court? It’s hell, Kise, you’re fucking impossible…”

The dirty talk - which was proving to be a lot simpler and more natural than Aomine expected, the words just tumbling from his lips - was doing wonders to Kise, who hardened steadily in Aomine’s hand.

 “...mine-cchi…” he panted, still chewing on his lip, and Aomine leaned forward, pulling a hand out of Kise’s shirt to cup his chin, tilting it. Kise’s lips parted and he reached towards Aomine. 

_He’s going to let me kiss him_ , Aomine realized, with a wild thrill, his heart pounding, as the hand in Kise’s pants began moving up and down in a slow pumping motion.  _He's going to let me kiss him as I hold his cock... fuck..._

He gave Kise’s manhood another squeeze, gazing at the beautiful, flushed face and glistening lips, licking his own as he dipped his head down.  

Kise's eyes fluttered shut, and Aomine could feel the blonde's breath on his lips. 

_So close... just a bit more and we'll be -_

“Oi! Aomine! Kise! Second half is starting!”

Someone banged on the door, and Aomine immediately jumped back, jerking his hand out of Kise’s pants. Kise whimpered at the loss of contact, the sound sending thrills down Aomine’s spine.

_Could you have more fucked up timing, Wakamatsu, you moron?_ Aomine thought, cursing his teammate in his head.

“Coming!” Aomine shouted at the door, seeing that Kise was in no state to form a verbal response.

Despite his frustration that they had been interrupted, Aomine felt a surge of pride, as he took in Kise’s flushed face and his parted lips, and almost desperate golden eyes - though Kise’s expression was slowly changing, from one of expectant desire to one of utter and absolute shock. 

_Still. I’m the one who made him look like that. I’m the one who put that expression on his face._

Kise hadn’t looked like that with Mai-chan. Aomine didn’t want to even think what he looked like with Oikawa. But he'd seen Kise with Mai-chan. With Mai-chan, Kise had been the one in control. He hadn't looked so...  _needy._ So  _vulnerable_ and  _desperate._

“Too bad that was interrupted,” Aomine said, smirking as he nodded at the tent in Kise’s shorts. “Though I guess if you truly want to copy me, you should get used to playing with a boner. I'm like that on court half the time I play you, you know." 

Kise just gaped at him, and Aomine grinned. “Good luck keeping up with me this half, Kise.”

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, the Oikawa x Kise crack pairing is about 10% of the reason I wanted to write this story. It's just watching Oikawa in Haikyuu reminded me of Kise (both really talented and hot, have tons of fangirls, flirt and act cute but can be serious while playing matches, get beaten up by their teammates... I don't know, I think they'd make great friends and it would be hot to see two pretty boys hooking up, plus jealous!Aomine is my drug) 
> 
> Don't worry, they were just casually hooking up, Kise's one true love is Aomine! And Oikawa's is... well, whoever you want it to be! Though Haikyuu released after KnB, I consider Oikawa 1-2 years Kise's senior in this. It doesn't matter much, his purpose was served. 
> 
> Next chapter is ONLY AoKise, I promise! No more torturing poor Aominecchi! It's going to be shameless AoKise smut from now on, with no third party involved! 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I'll try to update as soon as I can :)


	3. The Summer Arc: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the wonderful comments and the kudos! Here's the next chapter. As promised, this has a lot of AoKise smut. And KiseAo (if you make the distinction). And some fluff.

* * *

 

Kise was a mess for the first few minutes of the third quarter, fumbling with ball twice and missing three basket attempts in a row. Aomine smirked, as Touou closed the twelve-point gap easily, eventually gaining a lead on Kaijou.

Kise was also avoiding _him_ , he realized, heart sinking. Kise refused to mark him or go one-on-one with him, passing the ball if Aomine ever charged on him; and none of the other Kaijou defenders were a match for Aomine.

Kasamatsu eventually called for the captain to signal a timeout; Kaijou was now ten points behind. With Kise seemingly no longer able or willing to take on Touo’s ace, Aomine was demolishing them.

“The hell did you do to Kise?” Wakamatsu commented. “He looks terrified of you?”

“The fuck?!” Aomine snarled. “I didn’t do anything! Kise’s just being an idiot!”

Despite his words, Aomine was inwardly panicking. Had he come on too strong? Had he scared Kise away? Aomine honestly didn’t know what had taken possession of him those few moments, but Kise had _liked_ it, Kise had taken it willingly, and towards the end, he was sure that Kise was indicating that he wanted Aomine to kiss him; even though they’d been interrupted before that could happen.

His eyes flitted over to where Kaijou was gathered; Kasamatsu seemed intent on pummeling whatever he thought had gotten into Kise out of it.

It seemed to have worked.

When the game resumed, Kise seemed to have cleared his head, and faced Aomine head-on. His expression was blank, but his golden eyes were burning, hard and intense.

Aomine tackled him but found himself tripping over his own heels as Kise executed an ankle-breaker: not as fatal as Akashi’s, but one that made Aomine stumble for a split-second nonetheless - just enough time for Kise to slip past him.

Aomine cursed, regaining his footing as he bolted after him, but it was too late, and Kise managed to dunk another one in.

Aomine’s response was to hurl the ball right back into Touo’s basket. Twice.

_You’re mistaken if you think you can beat me without Perfect Copy, Kise! I’ll acknowledge that you’re good, more than good even. But we play one-on-one all the time. I know all your usual tricks. Who do you think taught them to you?!_

Aomine had been distracted during the first-half, and also just not really into the game. Even if he held himself back slightly against Kise now (he was sure Kise was doing the same, it was instinctive for them; their fondness for one another would either make them overexert themselves, or play lightly, depending on the situation), it didn’t change anything.

Touo had gotten a lead, and even if Aomine and Kise were evenly matched, that still meant that Kaijou would not be able to recover.

By the end of the third quarter, Touo was leading by nine points. Kasamatsu called for another timeout, and Aomine sauntered over to the Kaijou bench then, ignoring the shocked glances of his own teammates, and Kise’s.

Kise didn’t move away, but looked entirely suspicious as Aomine slid next to him on the bench, draping an arm around his neck.

“What was that about me needing to pick up my pace?” he asked Kise, ruffling his hair. “Kaijou’s victory, huh? Doesn’t look like it to me.”

Kise narrowed his eyes, but Aomine also noticed that he blushed at the sudden proximity.

“Still, I have to admit, you’ve really gotten good.” Aomine shot him a crooked smirk. “Playing against you just seems to be getting more and more _interesting_ each time.”

“Save the sweet talk for after the match, Aominecchi,” Kise snapped, and Aomine was amused.

_He’s just trying to act cool, but he’s really riled up, isn’t he?_

“Why, is it so wrong for me to compliment my former teammate?”

Aomine reached for a towel, wiping the sweat-drenched hair out of Kise’s forehead. Kise, who had apparently had enough of whatever he thought Aomine was trying to do, slammed his water bottle down and stood up abruptly, shoving Aomine’s arm off of him and stalked towards the court.

Aomine couldn’t help the grin on his face as he followed.

 

* * *

 

Kise’s face was a blank slate for the last quarter; he played hard, but then so did Aomine.

The game finally ended in Touo’s victory, though by a relatively small margin of only eight points.

The teams shook hands. Kise seemed wary of Aomine when they crossed, but Aomine took his hand and yanked him forwards so that he crashed into his chest.

Kise yelped - his previous intensity seemed to have dissipated now that the game was over - falling over into Aomine’s arms.

“You beat me,” Aomine murmured into his ear, releasing Kise’s hand to ruffle his sweat-drenched blonde hair, his other hand on Kise’s back. “Good job.”

Kise pulled away, narrowing his eyes. “What are you trying to pull, Aominecchi?”

“The game is over, you won. Why would I try to pull anything?”

Kise puffed his cheeks adorably, before looking away.

“Come on,” Aomine said, releasing him. “I’ll treat you to ice cream.”

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of Kaijou and Touou ended up joining as well, but Aomine still managed to monopolize Kise.

“No, get this one,” Aomine said, shoving a vanilla ice cream cone towards Kise, who was reaching for his usual fruit popsicle. “I’ve heard it’s good. You like vanilla right?”

Kise raised his eyebrows, puzzled, but shrugged good-naturedly and accepted the ice cream cone.  

_I don’t think I have it in me to watch him perform blow-jobs on popsicles today…_

The vanilla cone, in hindsight, had been a mistake as well, as Aomine watched Kise, from the corner of his eye, and the way the pink tongue swirled around the white cream, sucking it up.

_What the fuck is his problem, why can’t he eat like a normal person?_ Aomine took a vicious bite of his chocolate bar.

“Mm, Aominecchi was right, that was really good~” Kise said happily, polishing of the last of the ice cream, previous awkwardness having seemingly dissipated.

There were smudges of ice cream around his lips. Aomine narrowed his eyes.

_Moron can’t even eat this properly._

“What?” Kise asked, at Aomine’s scrutiny. “Do I have something on my face?”

Aomine’s stomach lurched at just how dirty it looked - Kise, licking his lips, splattered in white cream - before reaching out.

“What are you, a grade-schooler?” he grumbled, wiping away the ice cream with his thumb, just as Kise’s tongue flicked out to lap it up.

They both froze, as Kise accidentally ended up licking Aomine’s finger, and Aomine pulled his hand away as if burned, butterflies erupting in the pit of his stomach.

He could feel his own cheeks heat up, but Kise seemed to be blushing too.

_What the fuck is happening to the two of us?_

Breaking the silence, and in a bid to gain the upper hand, Aomine gave Kise his most wicked, deliberate smirk, leaning in and lowering his voice.

“If you’re going to swallow, at least do it properly. You look like someone just came all over your face.”

Kise spluttered, turning bright red, choking on the cone he had been eating. Aomine, rather sadistically, turned around and left him there. A concerned Kasamatsu showed up and smacked him on the back, effectively dislodging the cone. Kise gasped for water, and Aomine was overcome by a rather irrational surge of triumph.

_I win that round too._

****  


* * *

 

The train ride home was excessively awkward. Aomine and Kise were finally alone after the encounter in the locker room, and neither of them had said a thing.

Truthfully, Aomine didn’t know what to say. He watched Kise, out of the corner of his eye; the usually talkative blonde was staring out of the window in silence. His stop for his transfer came first, but Aomine reached out, grabbing his wrist.

Kise attempted to tug his hand away, but Aomine only tightened his grip.

“Stay.”

“I - I need to get home - ”

“You can sleep over at my place again.”

Kise avoided his gaze. “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

The doors were sliding shut.  

“We can just hang out,” Aomine said quickly. “I swear - I swear I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

Kise didn’t seem convinced, but Aomine stood up, facing him.

“Please?”

Kise sighed, eyeing the shutting doors longingly, but relented, taking a seat. He was silent the rest of the way back, but Aomine had a feeling he was in for a whiny tantrum the moment they got back home. He refused to give Kise the chance to run away and pretend it didn’t happen, so he would take the bitching.

* * *

 

“What was all of that about?” Kise demanded, the moment they had reached Aomine’s bedroom and were behind closed doors.

His golden eyes were flashing, and he seemed annoyed more than anything. Aomine flinched.

“So I guess - I guess I shouldn’t have come on so hard - and so sudden,” he began, and Kise glared at him, pointing a finger accusingly.

“You molested me, Aominecchi!”

Aomine put his hands up. “Alright, I kind of did, and I’m sorry - ”

“ _Kind of_?!” Kise screeched. “You - you - ”

He gesticulated wildly, unable to actually say it in words, and Aomine noted the blush on his cheeks.

“Okay, I _did_. I said I’m sorry,” Aomine replied, lying back on his bed. “If I recall correctly though, you weren’t complaining so much back then.”

“I - I was surprised!” Kise yelled, his voice rising an octave higher, the whining more pronounced.

“You were hard.”

“A-anyone would be - if they were - touched like that - ”

“Mm, so you’re saying you would have reacted like that if it hadn’t been me? If it had been, say… Midorima? Tetsu? Kagami? Kasamatsu?”

Aomine felt a growing feeling of triumph as Kise shuddered at each of those names.

“What are you trying to prove?” he finally cried.

“You were saying _my name_ , Kise,” Aomine replied, his voice low, dark blue eyes boring into Kise’s frantic gold ones. “You were panting and gasping for me, and you were moaning my name…”

“I - I don’t understand,” Kise mumbled, his blush intensifying. “What - what is the point of all of this?!”

“You were going to let me kiss you - ”

“I was just caught up in the moment, okay!”

“You could have easily, I don’t know, kicked me in the balls or something, instead.”

“Is that an invitation, Aominecchi? I can do it now!”

“Mm, not exactly the kind of handling of my balls I had in my mind.”

“Aominecchi?!” Kise looked like he was going to pass out, before he pointed at him accusingly. “Hentai!!!”

“I guess I am,” Aomine shrugged. “I made that clear, didn’t I? I want you.”

“Wh-what?! S-since when?!”

Aomine had expected him to be more flattered than shocked, really, given how vain he was, so Kise’s reaction was a bit unnerving.

“I guess since I found out you were into guys too,” Aomine lied.

It had been before then, much before then. But he didn’t want to scare Kise away, or admit to a long time sexual crush. That would just be lame.

“So just because I’m into guys you assume it would be okay to randomly feel me up?!”

Aomine rolled his eyes. Since when had logic been Kise’s strong point anyways? Why was the idiot choosing _now_ of all times to present a valid argument.

“Look, I said I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have, but I kind of lost control. You - you know this already, but you’re really hot. Really really unfairly hot.” Aomine felt his cheeks burn, probably matching the color of Kise’s at this admission.

“I - I didn’t know Aominecchi - thought that,” Kise finally mumbled, looking up at him shyly, and Aomine thought his heart would burst at Kise’s reaction: no longer scared or shocked, but wide-eyed, curious.

“Well I do,” Aomine muttered, turning away for a moment, gathering up his courage.

“So, um…” Kise fidgeted awkwardly. “What now?”

“Do you - do you wanna mess around?”

“Ehhhh?!” Kise screeched, and Aomine smacked his forehead.

“Why are you so loud, idiot!”

“What - what are you _saying,_  Aominecchi?!”

“If you don’t want to just say no already, stop being such a drama queen!” Aomine snapped. “You’re not into me that way, I’m not as pretty as your fucking Oikawa or whatever, I get it.”

“I never said that!” Kise retorted, before his expression softened. “Aominecchi… were you… that day… were you upset because you were jealous?”

“Look, this was all a big mistake, I fucked up - ”

“Aominecchi, you can’t blame me for my reaction, I thought you were straight all these years, I never knew you would - ”

“Well now you do know, and you should probably go - ”

“No!” Kise sat down on the edge of the bed. “Aominecchi, listen. I’m not - I’m not saying no or that I would want him over you or anything like that, so please just listen to me!”

His voice was fairly pleading and Aomine met his gaze again.

“Well?”

“Um…”

“Kise!”

“I - I’m really flattered actually,” Kise said softly. “You know that I - I’ve always - looked up to you. That someone as cool as Aominecchi would want me like that, it really… it makes me happy in a weird way.”

“I’m glad I could add a boost to your overinflated ego,” Aomine deadpanned. “Now get out of my room.”

“No, listen! I - I won’t lie, if we hadn’t been stopped back then in the locker room… I would have probably gone with whatever you were doing,” Kise admitted. “We would have crossed lines and I don’t think I would have been able to refuse Aominecchi.”

Well, _that_ was a boost to his ego, if Aomine needed one.

“Well, there’s nobody stopping us now,” he said huskily, glancing significantly at the space on the bed next to him. “C’mere.”

Kise blushed, looking almost tempted to take him up on the offer. “I - I’m not sure exactly what you want from me.”

Aomine shrugged. “Friends with benefits. Sex friends. Whatever you want to call it.”

“Ah.” Kise bit his lip. “That. So. Um.”

“Are you up for it or not?!”

“Um - I - I just don’t think I can,” Kise said, though he sounded regretful. “Not with Aominecchi…”

“Why the fuck not?” Aomine demanded. “You just said that if we hadn’t been interrupted you would have - ”

“I wouldn’t have been able to say no, which is why I’m glad we were interrupted,” Kise said. “Aominecchi… the sex friend thing… it only works when you’re not that close to the person, and if it’s an occasional thing. But you… you and I see each other so often, and well, I consider you one of my really good friends and - ”

“Why is that a bad thing?” Aomine raised an eyebrow. “Seeing each other often, I mean? Are you scared I’ll wear you out or something? We can take breaks you know, we don’t have to fuck each others brains out every time we see one another - ”

“Aominecchi!” Kise wailed, covering his face in his hands. “You’re so dirty!”

“Hey,” Aomine said softly, scooting forwards and putting an arm around Kise, while trying to calm his own pounding heart. Kise jumped at the contact, but Aomine rubbed his back soothingly. “What are you afraid of?”

“Aominecchi is my best friend,” Kise said tremulously. “If something were to go wrong… ”

“Nothing’s going to go wrong, you’re just overthinking things,” Aomine said. “It’s not like we’re dating or anything.”

_Though I will probably have to kill the next person you do end up dating._

“You trust me, right?” Aomine asked, and Kise finally peeked out between his fingers to look at him.

“Damnit, Kise! Stop doing that!”

“Stop doing what?” Kise mumbled.

“Stop being so fucking cute! It’s unfair.” Aomine looked away, color creeping into his cheeks.

Kise didn’t say anything, but after a few moments he nudged Aomine with his knee.

“What?” Aomine asked warily, turning to look at him. “Answer my question. You trust me, right?”

Kise nodded slowly, still staring at him from behind his fingers, and it was doing funny things to Aomine’s heart.

His throat dry, he went on, taking encouragement from the affirmation. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If you tell me to stop, I will. I won’t attack you again, or anything, I swear.”

Kise lowered his hands, golden eyes contemplating him. Aomine felt his heart pound. The blonde mumbled something, but Aomine couldn’t hear him.

“What did you say?” he asked, turning so that he was facing Kise, and then leaning in.

Kise looked away immediately, refusing to meet his gaze as the pretty red stained across his cheeks grew deeper. “I said… I want to.”

Aomine felt like the wind had been knocked out of him from that one simple admission. “Oh.” He licked his lips. “Right. Okay.”

Kise continued to look at him, almost expectantly. Aomine scooted closer on the bed, until their legs were touching. He brought his hands up, but then froze, uncertain, keeping his hands hovering over Kise’s face.

“W-what is it, Aominecchi?” Kise asked.

Aomine swallowed hard, as slowly, carefully moved his hands to cup Kise’s face.“Um - can I - kiss you?”

Kise nodded, and as Aomine leaned in. He could practically feel the way Kise’s breath hitched. Kise’s eyes fluttered shut, and Aomine closed his as well.

Aomine tilted his head. Their noses bumped.

His lips hovered just a centimeter away from Kise’s, and he waited for a moment, still hesitating, his heart threatening to pound it’s way out of his ribcage.

Kise - to his surprise, and slight disappointment - hadn’t made any initiative to meet him halfway, and seemed to be waiting, eyes shut, for Aomine to do all the work.

_Maybe he’s just shy…_

The thought that the sexually confident Kise - or at least that’s the image Aomine had after seeing his other interactions - would be shy around _him_ was rather heartwarming, and a bit of boost to his own wavering confidence.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aomine closed the gap between their lips, brushing his own against Kise’s.

Kise’s lips were warm, soft, tender… everything that Aomine had imagined. It was their first kiss, and it was sweet, sending Aomine’s stomach aflutter.

But that was the problem, he realized after a few moments of moving his lips against Kise's. It was _too_ sweet. Aomine had expected sweet, yes, but he had also expected - or rather wanted - more, something more intense, challenging, almost.

What was the fun if Kise just sat there and let himself be kissed?

_Why won’t he move?! Why won’t he kiss me back?_

Feeling a flash of annoyance, Aomine broke off the kiss. Kise’s eyes immediately jolted open, and he even leaned forwards, as if trying to prolong the contact.

“W-why did you stop?” There was a hint of a whine to his voice, almost desperate, and it filled Aomine with glee.

_He wants it. He wants it, maybe as much as I do. He’s just shy._

“You - you can’t expect me to do all the work,” Aomine grumbled, flushing.

“H-huh?” Kise still looked rather dazed.

_It was our first kiss after all. Still, is that what he looks like after his first kiss with everyone? Or just me?_

“I mean…” Aomine wondered how to phrase it in a way that wouldn’t hurt Kise’s feelings, but yet incite him into being more… _proactive_ , to say the least.

Of course. He’d stoke the flame of competition; Kise was never one to back down from a challenge.

“I dunno… I just thought… kissing you would be more… well, _more_.”

“What?!” Kise was now starting to look less satisfied and dazed, and more taken aback, as if stunned that Aomine would question his kissing abilities.

_Serves you right,_ Aomine thought, _you didn’t even try with me._

“I mean, I didn’t think you’d just sit there and let me kiss you,” Aomine went on, shrugging. “Thought you’d put up more of fight, is all.”

At those words, something in Kise’s golden eyes flashed, his expression changing to something darker, more intense, an expression that sent a spike of heat to Aomine’s nether regions.

Aomine felt a ridiculous sense of achievement that he’d managed to play Kise so well, but then again, he’d known Kise wouldn’t let him down. The blonde just needed the right nudge, and Aomine had always been an expert at pushing all of his buttons.

Kise licked his lips, the transformation from shy and innocent to seasoned seducer rather jarring, but making Aomine’s heart palpitate wildly all the same.

“It’s not basketball, Aominecchi,” Kise said coyly, his perfect lips twisting into a half-smirk. “If I go all out here, I don’t think you’ll be able to keep up.”

He leaned in just as Aomine did, but then had to be infuriating and pull away just before their lips met.

“Oi,” Aomine growled at him, his hand going to the back of Kise’s neck, trying to pull him in. “Stop trying to act like you're so badass or something. I can handle whatever the hell you throw at me.”

“Are you sure?” Kise purred, a lone finger rising to trail down Aomine’s cheek, his jaw, and down his neck.

Aomine shivered at the touch. Hell, he _wasn’t_ sure. He wasn’t sure he would be able to take it if Kise went all-out - well, all-out _sex god_ on him, to put it one way. Kise had barely touched him with a single finger, and he already felt like his insides and his legs were turning to jelly.

But if nothing, Aomine Daiki to be pushed to his limits, especially by Kise Ryouta. There was no chance in hell that he was going to back down _now_.

Anticipation thrummed against his chest, and Aomine met Kise’s sharp golden gaze with his own.

“Bring it on, Kise.”

“Mm okay, if that’s what Aominecchi wants,” Kise agreed easily, before slanting his lips over Aomine’s.

 

* * *

 

Aomine thought his heart would jump out of his chest as Kise kissed him, lips moving languidly over his own. He kissed the blonde back, but Kise quickly took control of the kiss - he had more experience after all - and Aomine was more than happy to let him.

Kise’s lips were soft and warm as they slid sumptuously against Aomine’s, and he crawled onto Aomine’s lap, straddling him, his fingers stroking through Aomine’s hair.

Unsure what to do with his hands anymore, and feeling uncharacteristically shy, Aomine finally rested them on Kise’s hips. They kissed for awhile, Kise nibbling at Aomine's lower lip, before slipping his tongue into Aomine’s mouth. Kise’s tongue massaged his own, and damn, Aomine had been right, Kise was an amazing kisser.

He wished Kise would give him some indication of how he was doing himself - but the blonde seemed eager enough to allow Aomine to shove his tongue down his throat, and the way he was pressing up against him seemed to indicate that he liked it as well.

Aomine lost track of how much time they just spent making out, Kise draped wantonly over him, his own hands now more adventurous, slipping up Kise’s shirt to run up and down his back. Kise broke the kiss, finally, and Aomine growled, trying to yank him back.

“Patience, Aominecchi,” Kise said teasingly, as he tugged on the hem of Aomine’s shirt, looking at him entreatingly.

With a fluid motion, Aomine pulled off his shirt, and then attacked Kise’s, before tossing both aside. When they began kissing again, he tore his mouth away from Kise’s lips to trail down his neck, before sucking .

Kise give a small moan, and encouraged, Aomine sucked harder, before biting down, dragging his fingernails across Kise’s hard chest. He found the nipples, and pinched them, rolling them between his fingers the way he’d seen Kise do to Mai-chan.

Apparently boys were there sensitive too, because Kise gasped and mewled and made delicious noises, dragging Aomine up by the hair to mash their lips together once more.

They made out some more, Kise pushing Aomine back, and Aomine yanking Kise down so that he was directly on top of him on the bed. Kise rolled his hips, grinding their erections together.

“Fuck, Kise,” Aomine hissed, and Kise bucked his hips again.

They ground against each other in a frenzy, hands exploring, mouths clashing, until Kise pulled away to trail kisses down Aomine’s abs, his lips and tongue leaving a burning trail.

“Kise - fucking - get back here - ” Aomine began, but Kise just smirked at him from where his lips hovered dangerously close to Aomine’s clothed erections.

His smoldering golden eyes not leaving Aomine’s, he dragged Aomine’s zipper down with his teeth, and Aomine let loose a string of expletives.

“Fucking show off - ”

Kise grinned, pulling Aomine’s jeans down, until his fingers rested at the waistband of Aomine’s boxers.

“Kise, wait - ”

“It’s only fair, don’t you think.” Kise looked up at him out of long eyelashes. “Aominecchi touched mine without asking, after all.”

He stood up slowly, not missing the brief look of disappointment that flashed across Aomine’s face.

“You thought I was going to put it in my mouth, Aominecchi?” Kise’s eyes were sparkling, and he grinned, a grin that was pure evil, but yet so irresistibly sexy.

_He’s a devil, a fucking devil,_ Aomine thought. _Even if he looks like an angel, he’s evil._

“I’m sure you would have liked that,” Kise murmured, his lips at Aomine’s earlobe, and then jaw. “Me, taking your cock in my mouth and sucking you dry. Is that what you wanted, Aominecchi?”

Aomine’s head was reeling, and his aforementioned member was throbbing so much he thought it would explode, as Kise’s words made him harder than he ever thought possible.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted at that point but he sure as hell knew that for once, he didn’t want Kise to stop talking.

Kise slipped his hand between Aomine’s thighs, nudging them slightly apart, before sliding his hand up the inside - and yet, not far up enough.  

His lips moved down Aomine’s neck to his collarbone. His fingers were running tantalizingly up and down the inside of Aomine’s thighs, getting closer and closer, but never close enough.  

“Who told - you - you could - shut up - ” Aomine finally managed to croak out.

Kise looked amused.

“Aominecchi usually always tells me I talk too much.”

“Just - fucking - keep talking.”

Kise’s voice was low, velvety, darker than Aomine had ever heard it; and yet tinged with a light amusement that made it so... so  _Kise_.

“You’re getting off on my dirty talk, Aominecchi? That’s funny.” He laughed softly, tugging Aomine’s boxers off, before golden eyes slanted down, widening slightly.

“Aominecchi’s so hard… this hard and I haven’t even touched you yet…”

Aomine’s cock twitched, as he remembered Kise uttering similar words in a similar tone, the very words that had haunted his dreams; except they had been directed to a girl then.

“Will you last, if I touch you, Aominecchi?” Kise asked, peering at Aomine through his eyelashes, his slender fingers getting closer and closer to the throbbing heat. Aomine wasn’t sure himself if he would last, but chose not to voice that thought.

“Just get on with it,” he growled at Kise, or at least tried to, except for it ended up sounding more like he was whining, to his mortification.

“Mm, only if Aominecchi asks nicely,” Kise teased.

Aomine wanted to strangle him. “Kise…”

“Say the magic word~” Kise sang. “Or rather, the magic words.”

“What the - fuck - ”

“Kise-sama, please touch me,” Kise informed him.  

“Like hell I - ”

“ _Come on_ , Aominecchi.” Kise’s eyes were dancing as his wandering fingers flitted down Aomine’s chest and stomach, stopping just above the growth of hair that led to his manhood.    

“Not fucking calling you Kise-sama, asshole - ”

“Aominecchi’s mean,” Kise began sulkily, pulling away, but Aomine yanked him back.

“Kise - ” he panted, almost desperately.

“Yes?”

“Touch me… please.”

That seemed to satisfy Kise, whose lips quirked as he ruffled Aomine’s hair with his free hand, before finally taking taking pity on the other male and running a single finger over Aomine’s taut cock.

Aomine hissed at the contact, but Kise decided to prolong the torture, his finger trailing back and forth, around the underside, and circling around the tip, where precum was leaking out.

“God fucking damnit Kise just - just - ”

“Just what?” Kise’s voice was hot against his ear. “Squeeze it? Like this?”

And then his hand - that beautiful hand that had so effortlessly handled a basketball for almost every day Aomine remembered - closed around his cock. Aomine saw stars, and couldn’t help the groan that escaped from his lips.

Kise began pumping, slowly.

“Is this okay, Aominecchi?” he asked. “Does it feel good like this?”

“Yeah - fuck - don’t stop - ”

Kise’s other hand slid down Aomine’s ass, and under, to cup his balls. Kise massaged them with one hand, the other steadily pumping at Aomine’s cock.

“So when you mentioned me handling your balls earlier, this is what you had in mind, ne Aominecchi?” Kise asked innocently. “Like this, yeah?”

“Fuck - Kise - I - ”

“Mm, doesn’t feel like you’ll last much longer.” Kise’s tongue ran along the shell of his ear, along his jaw. “Will you come for me, Aominecchi? Come all over my hand? Or would you rather come in my mouth?”

“Kise - god damnit - I can’t - ”

Aomine felt the pressure build up and he was just on the brink of an orgasm when Kise let go, predicting the time with an expertise that made Aomine a bit sick, but also ridiculously turned on.

_How many people has he done this to?_

“You - fucking - get back here - ”

Kise just gave him a heart-stopping grin, eyes glittering in the definition of ‘eyefucking’ in Aomine’s mind - and sank to his knees.

“You don’t have to - ” Aomine began, but Kise smirked up at him.

“You know you want me to.”

And then he flicked his tongue over Aomine’s manhood, lapping up the precum leaking out of the tip. Aomine groaned, struggling to maintain eye contact with those eyes of molten gold, as he clenched his fingers into Kise’s impossibly soft hair.

“Ahhh - holy shit - Kise - fuck - ”

Kise swirled his tongue around Aomine’s base, not taking him in, simply teasing, and Aomine tugged on his hair insistently.

Kise moved his head back, winked, and then took Aomine’s entire length into his mouth.

Whatever he was doing with his mouth and tongue - sucking, swirling, licking, his lips wrapped around Aomine's cock, all the while maintaining eye-contact - was disastrous, and as much as Aomine would have liked to prolong it for as long as possible, he came under two minutes, gasping out Kise’s name.

It was an orgasm more intense than anything he had ever experienced, white-hot pleasure coursing through his body in torrents.

Kise drew away and swallowed obviously, before licking his lips. Aomine stared at him, still giddy from the aftereffects of the orgasm, and Kise swiped his finger along Aomine’s now flaccid member, wiping away some of the white fluid that had dripped down.

He stood up, sliding his finger into Aomine’s mouth; Aomine was too weak to protest at that moment, though he flushed at just how dirty Kise could be, as the blonde made him taste his own cum.

“Aominecchi’s so bitter,” Kise remarked casually.

“You - you - actually - swallowed - ” Aomine finally choked out.

Kise looked at him, amused. “What, did you expect me to spit it out?”

Aomine nodded dumbly.

Kise smirked, leaning in. “I’ll tell you a secret, Aominecchi.”

“Hm?”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever swallowed for.”

Aomine stared at him, thunderstruck.

“Wait - seriously - w-why?”

Kise shrugged before looking at him accusingly. “I almost choked, you know. Aominecchi came so hard in my mouth I thought I would suffocate and die.”

Aomine wanted to hit him for his idiocy - making such silly comments after doing something as  _mindblowing_ as that - but felt it wouldn’t be right.

No, in that moment, Kise Ryouta was an angel sent from heaven. He couldn't hit an angel. 

Said angel’s smile soon grew outright devilish.

“So, Aominecchi. Do you want me to take you front-facing, or from the back?”

* * *

 

Aomine was tense - but Kise relaxed him soon enough, touching and kissing expertly, whispering scandalous things into his ear, as a long finger probed around Aomine’s entrance.

He slid it in, and Aomine clenched his teeth at the discomfort, which worsened when Kise started moving his finger.

“Just wait for it,” Kise murmured, and moments later, his finger hit something inside of Aomine and Aomine felt another sharp burst of pleasure, unlike the one from when Kise had been touching his hardened member, but yet so good.

And then Kise started fingering him, and he thought he would die.

“Does it feel good, Aominecchi?” Kise murmured. “Like that? Do you like it? Mm, Aominecchi’s so tight.”

Kise was behind him - Aomine missed his face - Aomine’s back pressed into Kise’s chest, a reversal of their positions in the locker room earlier that day. Kise’s other hand was pumping Aomine’s rigid cock, slowly, languidly.

“I’d normally use lube,” Kise said apologetically, “but I didn’t expect I’d being doing this tonight, so I’m rather unprepared.”

Aomine felt rather relieved at that - he didn’t know how he’d feel if he found out that Kise generally made a habit of carrying lube around in his pocket, always prepared for a fuck.

“S’fine,” he grunted. “Just - keep doing - whatever - ”

Eventually Kise slid in another finger, stretching. It did hurt, but Aomine had a high pain threshold, and was more distracted by Kise’s hand on his cock, and all the sinful things the blonde was whispering into his ears.  

“Do you think you’re ready?” Kise asked, a third finger later.

“R-ready?”

“I’m going to put my cock into you, Aominecchi,” Kise said silkily. “Is that okay?”

“F-fuck - yes - ”

“You’ll let me fuck you, Aominecchi?”

“God, I _said_ yes, just get on with it - ”

“Mm, not until Aominecchi tells me it’s okay~” Kise said teasingly, turning Aomine’s chin with an index finger. His lips hovered over Aomine’s. “You want me to fuck you, ne, Aominecchi?”

“Yes!”

Kise kissed him on the lips.

“Say it.”

“God damnit, are you going to do this every time - ”

“Aominecchi.” Kise bit his bottom lip, golden eyes dark. “Say it.”

“Just - just fuck me already - Kise.”

Another kiss.

“Good boy.”

Aomine wanted to punch him.

_Who the hell do you think you’re talking to like that?!_ Aomine wanted to yell.

But it’s hard to stay annoyed for long at someone who is fingering you into oblivion, and moreover, Aomine was ridiculously turned on by this confident, suave, arrogant Kise.

Still, he was Aomine and if Kise teased and denied him one more time -

“Just get on with already asshole! Just - fucking - put it in!”

“As Aominecchi wishes~”

* * *

 

Kise entered slowly at first, allowing Aomine to adjust.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Kise was peppering his neck with kisses, his lips and teeth soft and gentle, while his fingers continued to pump steadily at Aomine’s cock.

“I - it’s - I’m getting used to it,” Aomine gritted out.

“Can I start moving?”

“S-sure.”

“I’ll start slow, don’t worry. It’ll feel good, okay. Just trust me.”

Aomine adjusted to Kise quickly; it felt so good, so natural, having him buried in there, and the very idea that Kise’s dick was deeply embedded in him made Aomine’s stomach and heart flip-flop funnily. It didn’t stay slow and gentle for long.

Just a few minutes later,  Kise had Aomine bent over the bed as he plunged into him repeatedly from behind, his hands at Aomine’s hips, thrusting his own.

“Ahh~ Aominecchi - so tight - so good - ”

“Kise - fuck - harder - fuck me harder -”

“I won’t - last - Aominecchi - can I - can I come - inside you - oh _god_ ~”

“Faster - Kise, _go fucking faster I said_ \- ahhh - _holy shit_ \- ”

“Aominecchi - I’m - I’m - ”

“Kise - _oh_ \- holy fuck - too much - I - ”

“Aominecchi _, I_ \- nnnngh - ahh~~”

“ _Kise_ \- fuck - ”

 

* * *

 

Aomine didn’t know who came first. Perhaps he had, Kise spilling into a him a split-second after. Or perhaps it had been the opposite. He wasn’t sure, and found that he didn’t really care, still overcome by a heady rush and the aftereffects of what had been a rather earth-shattering orgasm.

Behind him, Kise slowly pulled out, before collapsing next to Aomine on the bed. They lay there for a few minutes, breathing heavily, and not saying a word. Eventually, Kise rolled Aomine over gently.

“Are you okay?” his golden eyes held Aomine’s for a long moment, and he reached down to brush a stray lock of dark blue hair aside. “I’m sorry if I was too rough.”

Aomine rolled his eyes as he struggled to calm his pounding heart. “You weren’t.”

“And you’re feeling alright?”

“I’m not a girl, damnit. I don’t need post-sex sweet talk, you idiot.”

Kise’s eyes crinkled, and he gave him a small smile. Aomine noticed that it was strangely tense. He wondered why. Had Kise really been nervous? He couldn’t have been, he was used to this kind of stuff, and he had seemed so in his element just a few minutes ago. Aomine was the one who had reason to be nervous, not him.

“So, how was I?” Kise asked after a few moments.

_Fucking amazing. Mindblowing. Incredible. Best thing in the world. More fun than basketball. Okay maybe not, about as fun as basketball though, and I didn’t think that was even possible,_ Aomine wanted to tell him. _I fucking lo-_

_No._ He wasn’t going to fuel Kise’s ego with any of that.

“Not bad, I guess.” Aomine rolled upright and Kise pulled away, leaning down to pick up his boxers and pull them on. Aomine watched him appreciatively, until Kise chucked his own boxers at his head.

“Pervert.”

“ _You’re_ saying that,” Aomine scoffed. “Have you even heard amount of shit that comes out of your mouth? Do you always talk that dirty when you have sex?”

Kise flushed and didn’t answer, pulling his tshirt on, and then his shorts. Aomine made no moves to put on more than boxers.

“Was that your first time?” Aomine asked, trying to sound casual. Kise raised an eyebrow.

“Fucking a guy,” Aomine elaborated, when Kise didn’t reply.

“Ah - do you really want to know?” Kise bit his lip, and Aomine decided that he probably didn’t.

Kise had seemed experienced, and even if the blonde was a quick learner, Aomine highly doubted that the confidence and skill he had shown came from using his Perfect Copy while watching porn, or something equally ludicrous.

Aomine had accepted that Kise had experience fucking other guys, but on second thought, he really didn’t want to hear it; not from Kise’s own mouth - that devastating, enchanting mouth that had sucked him off less than an hour ago.

There was an awkward silence then, as Aomine stared at Kise and Kise began fidgeting, looking everywhere but at Aomine.

“So - ”

“Then - ”

Both of them stopped, blushing.

“You first,” Aomine muttered.

“I - um - I hope that - I hope that satisfied your curiosity - or whatever,” Kise mumbled, turning redder by the second. “I - I’ll see you around, Aominecchi…”

He turned to leave, and almost as if dragged by a magnetic force, Aomine felt himself jumping out of the bed to stand behind Kise, his arms looping around Kise’s waist.

“Aominecchi, what - ”

“Don’t go,” Aomine muttered into the back of his tshirt.

“D-do you want - a second round?”

Hell yes, he wanted a second round, but he didn’t think he could handle that just yet.

“No - I mean _yes_ \- but - not now.”

“So then…?”

Aomine’s heart was hammering. He shouldn’t ask, it would be weird to ask. He should just let Kise walk away. That’s what sex friends did, right?

But he couldn’t. He didn’t want him to.

“You owe me dinner for a week, remember? Don’t think you’re getting away with that just because we’ve started having sex.”

_Started_ having sex.

Which would imply that… there would be more of it.

If the meaning of Aomine’s words truly hit Kise, he hid it well, as he turned around, smirking.

“I remember Aominecchi being a lot more willing to let me get away with quite a lot a few minutes ago.”

“Don’t fucking try to seduce your way out of this one.”

“Mm, what if tell you that instead of dinner, I’ll -”

“Shut up and buy me dinner, Kise.”

“So demanding, Aominecchi,” Kise said, winking as he fake-swooned. “If only you were more forceful in bed, I think I would have enjoyed _that~_ ”

Aomine wanted to jump on him just then, and had to physically restrain himself.

“What the fuck does that mean?” he growled.

“Ah, nothing,” Kise said in a sing-song voice, the infuriating smirk growing. “I would have never imagined Aominecchi would ever beg for me so~”

“So you’ve imagined?”

Kise fixed him with a shrewd look. “I haven’t. That’s _your_ thing, isn’t it?”

Aomine didn’t know what to say then, and Kise just smiled, leaning forward poking him on the cheek.

“Aominecchi’s so cute when he’s flustered.”

“What the fuck! I’m not cute, I’m not a fucking puppy.”

“Alright, alright,” Kise said agreeably, pulling out his phone. “Should I call for delivery, then?”

“Whatever,” Aomine grunted.

* * *

 

The moment Kise polished off the last of his food, Aomine tackled him and pinned his arms, holding him down on the bed.

“Aominecchi, what- ” Kise began protesting but Aomine silenced him with a glare, his eyes gleaming ferally.

“Thought you said you’d like it if I was forceful,” he said huskily. “If I was… rough?”

Kise’s eyes glittered in anticipation and leaned up, running his tongue along Aomine’s bottom lip. “Mm, I’ll only know if you show me, Aominecchi.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Kise’s grin turned mischievous. “Let’s call it a one-on-one.”

“I’ll have _you_ begging _my_ name this time, Kise,” Aomine practically spat, before attacking him with his lips, teeth and tongue. They kissed - more violently this time - and Aomine practically tore Kise’s shirt off. “Shouldn’t have put it back on,” he murmured.

“I didn’t know - _ahh_ \- that we’d be doing - nnnh - this again~”  

 

* * *

 

 

True to his word, Aomine ravaged Kise, sucking and biting and licking along his ear, his jaw, his neck, his collarbones, his chest - all the while holding the blonde’s wrists captive in one hand, something which Kise seemed more than willing to allow.

When Aomine fucked him, he did it from the front.

“I want to see your face,” he whispered huskily, as Kise raised an arm over his own eyes in embarrassment. “Kise… c’mon… ”

“N-no - _don’t_ \- ahh~ don't look at - me~”

“But I want to see your face when I cum inside of you,” Aomine murmured, thrusting his hips forward as he pulled Kise’s arm down. “Come on, Kise, look at me…”

Kise did look at him - cheeks flushed, lips parted, golden eyes longing, desperate - and Aomine was so overwhelmed that he wanted to look away for a moment, to gather himself.

But he didn’t. He just bit his lip, and maintained eye contact the entire time, as he drove into Kise, over and over.

“Fuck - Kise - you’re so fucking hot  - ah - ”

“ _Aominecchi~_ ahh~ feels so good - faster - _please_ \- ”

“Sure - I can go faster - like this?”

“Fuck - Aominecchi - _harder_ \- fuck me harder~”

“Holy - shit - say that again - _Kise_ \- tell me to fuck you - again - ”

“Fuck me - _Aominecchi~_ nnnnnghhh - ”

“Yes - god, you’re so tight, Kise - _fuck_ \- I won’t last - ”

“ _Nnnngh~~ ahhh~~~ Aomine - chhi~_ ”

 

* * *

 

Once it was over, Aomine collapsed on top of Kise, and was content to lay there, until the blonde finally pushed him off. Kise rushed to the bathroom to clean up, taking his boxers with him. Aomine lay back on the bed - too drunk on his own ego rush, and general ecstasy - though he eventually pulled his own boxers on.

_Twice in a day, huh._

He hadn’t expected sex to be _that_ good.

He was sore, but he figured that would wear off soon enough. At least Kise had started off gentle. He hoped he had been good for Kise. A part of him wondered whether Kise would compare him to the others - Oikawa perhaps - Aomine wondered if he matched up.

_Of course I did better than that fucking volleyball loser, I bet I have more speed and agility than him anyways._

Kise came out and surveyed him. “You look spent.”

“What?” Aomine leered at him. “You wanna go for round three? Geez.”

“You’re the one who started that last round!” Kise protested.

“Because you were clearly asking for it before.”

“When?!”

“Before we ordered pizza. You were going on about how you wanted me to be forceful and you kept - eyefucking me over dinner.”

“I wasn’t - _eyefucking_ you!” Kise exclaimed, and he even had the nerve to look scandalized. “Aomin-ecchi!”

Aomine chuckled at the pun on his name. “Only for you.”

Kise rolled his eyes, and moved to pick up his shirt, but Aomine grabbed his wrist, yanking him into his chest.

“Aominecchi!” Kise tried to glare at him, but failed. “I’m tired, and I have an early morning shoot tomorrow.”

“It’s a Sunday.”

“Well, it’s a reshoot and there was no other time. Plus, I was up today at 6 am for a shoot as well - ”

“Stop whining and get some sleep.”

“H-huh?” Kise stared at him, confused.

Aomine sighed, laying back on the pillows, and nodding at him.

“What are you - ”

“C’mere,” Aomine mumbled, as a blush stained his cheeks. “It’s late, you shouldn’t - travel alone at night.”

It was the stupidest excuse ever, but how was he supposed to tell Kise that he didn’t want him to leave, that he wanted to wake up together after their first night, that he didn’t want Kise to leave after the deed was done and feel like it was just some…

_Just some what, exactly?_ Aomine asked himself.

“A-are you sure it’s okay if I sleep over?” Kise asked uncertainly.

“‘Course it is, you sleep over all the time.”

“But - ”

“Don’t overthink shit and just sleep.”

“R-right.”

“Turn the lights off.”

“‘Kay.”

Kise did, and slid into bed beside him. Their bare shoulders brushed. Aomine didn’t make a move to reach for him, and Kise was careful not to cuddle or snuggle this time.

“G’night, Aominecchi.”

“‘Night, Kise.”

* * *

 

Kise was gone by the time Aomine woke up, which wasn’t till noon. There was a dull ache in his lower back; testament to the fact that he hadn’t just dreamt up all the debauchery with Kise. It had all been real, it had all actually happened.

Kise had been there, touching him, kissing him, _fucking him,_ and even letting Aomine fuck _him_. Aomine stayed in his bed for over another hour, replaying the incidents of the previous night in his head. It had been too good to be true, Kise, with him like that…

Hell, if anything, he looked forward to his (almost daily) shower wank session now. He had actual experiences to think about, rather than just fantasies… and it had been hotter than anything Aomine’s own mind had come up with.

_Kise_ had been hotter. From the Mai-chan incident, Aomine had known about Kise’s hidden side, his ‘dark’ side, as Aomine sometimes liked to call it to himself out of lack of a better description.

So often he had dreamed about Kise being like that with him. And yesterday, he had finally gotten to see that side of Kise - charming, dominating, confident, arrogant, oozing sexuality - and it had been _mindblowing_.

It was past one when Aomine finally decided to roll out of bed. As he made to sit up, a shooting pain lanced up his spine.

_Fuck! That hurts._

The dull throbbing - it hadn’t really bothered him much when he had been lying down - now seemed a lot more intense, when he tried to move. He was sore, unbelievably sore. 

Aomine cursed, as he realized the reason behind the soreness. “I’m going to kill him.”

 

* * *

 

They didn’t meet for another two whole weeks. It was the end of the school year, and they had exams, and then respective three-day training camps during the first week of summer break.

Fortunately, both the Kaijou and Touo training camps took place around the same time (Aomine had learned from Momoi, he hadn’t had the balls to text Kise himself, and surprisingly, there had been no contact from Kise’s end either), which meant that Aomine wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

He had been plagued by thoughts about him the entire time, wondering if it would be normal for him to call or text, wondering why Kise (usually so talkative, and obsessed with his phone) wasn’t initiating a conversation, wondering if they’d still be able to talk and hang out like before.

Kise, apparently, had done the whole ‘sex friends’ thing before, but for Aomine, it was an entirely new concept. How was he supposed to behave around Kise now? How was he expected to act? He had no clue, and with the other thoughts that bombarded his mind, it was frustrating.

For one thing, Aomine hated overthinking things. He hated thinking at all. He was the type acted on instinct, doing things impulsively and then worrying about consequences later, or not at all: it was that very instinctiveness that had pushed him to finally make a move on Kise, and that had started this entire situation. And yet, here he was, staring at his phone from the moment he had gotten back from the camp and reached Tokyo, fretting over a stupid text, and the possible implications behind Kise not texting him first.

_What if he didn’t like it? He had seemed reluctant to stay… what if he thought I was worse than that dratted Oikawa? What if I was too rough…. or what if I wasn’t rough enough?!_

Eventually (after typing, deleting, and retyping a message three times) he chucked his phone against the wall.

_Thank Apple for the durability of iPhones,_ he thought, before picking it back up.  _I’m acting like a fucking idiot._

He punched in a message and pressed send before he could change his mind.

**how was training camp? are you back?**

Kise’s response - as always - was astonishingly quick.

**Just on the train back! It was fun I guess, feels a bit weird without Kasamatsu-senpai and the rest .･ﾟﾟ･(／ω＼)･ﾟﾟ･. How was yours?**

**it was whatever okay i guess i didnt wanna go but satsuki forced me**

**Well, it’s good Momoicchi did that! Knowing Aominecchi, you would have just stayed in bed the whole time (￢_￢)**

**i still got bored and wakamatsus more pissing off then ever now that hes captain its gone to his head**

**Aominecchi should just go easy on the poor boy~ it’s not easy to deal with you, you know, and not everyone is as patient as Momoicchi (*^ω^)**

**anyways are you up for a one-on-one later**

**Ehh? (o_O) Today?! I’m not even in Tokyo yet, plus I have a shoot in the evening… m(_ _)m**

**well then at night unless you’re too tired and out of stamina or something**

Aomine pursed his lips, before shooting another text, just in case.

**what was one lame training camp too much for you?**

**Huh?? (＃`Д´) Please, Aominecchi, we both know I have more stamina than that~**

Aomine didn’t think Kise had meant it in a perverted way - though you never knew with Kise, he was a sly fucker sometimes, and Aomine couldn’t tell if his flirting and innuendo were deliberate or accidental - but the text made him blush nonetheless.

_He means basketball,_ Aomine told himself, not sex. _Stamina when it comes to basketball._

**so I take that as a yes?**

**Around 9 pm works~ I’ll come to the court near your place, it’s closer to my agency.**

**cool seeya**

**See you, Aominecchi~! (⌒‿⌒)**

 

* * *

Aomine reached the court at 8:45. He shot baskets to take his mind off the weird anxiety and nervousness at seeing Kise.

There was no reason to be nervous. Nothing had changed. Except for the fact that they had had amazing, mind-blowing sex. And done other things. And that Kise now knew how hopelessly attracted Aomine was to him.

“Hey,” Kise greeted, and Aomine turned around, cursing mentally while his heart did another number on him.

Kise had come straight from his photoshoot, which meant that he still had on some makeup, and that his hair was spiked and gelled.

He was in full-on model/sex-bomb mode; not that he needed the makeup or hair products, he was flawless even otherwise - but they did make him even more beautiful in a different, sharper, more refined way.

“Hi,” Aomine said, noting how the eyeliner made Kise’s stunning eyes stand out all the more.

“Sorry I’m late, the shoot dragged on a bit.”

Aomine glanced at his watch. 8:20. How nervous had he been not to even realize?

“I texted you,” Kise said.

“Ah, I was too busy to check.”

Kise smiled at this. “Typical Aominecchi. Basketball is all you ever think about, ne?”

Aomine shot him a look. “Basketball. And other things.”

Kise blushed. “Aominecchi, don’t start that _now._ ”

Relieved that they could still tease and joke about it, Aomine continued the banter. “Why not? D’you have any idea how much hell I went through the Monday after? Couldn’t fucking even walk properly.”

“Ehh? Aominecchi talks like it’s all _my_ fault!”

“Isn’t it?”

“I was sore too! My cameraman was totally judging me at my shoot that Sunday because I couldn’t walk around and stand up properly. Plus my makeup artist saw all the - all the marks - so she totally knew what was up. It was so embarrassing!”

_I left marks?_ Aomine hadn’t realized that he had. But come to think of it, with all that biting and sucking on Kise’s neck it was probably inevitable. Not to mention, Kise’s fair skin tone would mean that any mark he did leave would stand out all the clearer.

The idea that he had marked Kise, and others had seen it filled him with a strange, possessive satisfaction. _I wonder if they’re still visible. Nah, it was two weeks ago, if I left any hickeys, they’ve all probably faded away… still, I could mark him again…_

“Aominecchi!” Kise demanded, seeing that Aomine was lost in his own thoughts.

“What?” Aomine snapped back to reality. “Don’t blame me, your makeup artist is probably already aware of your… past activities, or whatever… ”

“Still, Aominecchi could have been gentler,” Kise pouted, and Aomine raised an eyebrow.

“Gentler?! You’re the one who was _begging_ me to go faster.”

“What?!”

“ _Fuck, Aominecchi, harder, fuck me harder -_ ” Aomine raised his voice in a shrill imitation that sounded nothing as sexy as Kise had, but it served the purpose of embarrassing the blonde, who went several shades of crimson.

“I don’t sound like that!”

“Well of course you don’t, you sound like a trained porn star. What, do you practice your moans or something?”

“Aomin-ecchi!!!”

“Stop calling me that,” Aomine snapped, though he secretly rather liked the new variation of his nickname.

“Still, at least you had a day to rest,” Kise finally said, his voice reaching whinier octaves. “I had my shoot _that very day_ , and it was torture!”

“You should have called in sick and slept in.”

_With me._

“I didn’t know it would be that bad!”

“Tch, yeah right, it can’t have been your first time going to a shoot the night after.”

Kise didn’t reply to this, and Aomine narrowed his eyes.

“What, so you’re telling me you took a day off after being fucked by _Oikawacchi_ , but didn’t think it would be that bad after me? What, was I not rough enough for you, _Kise-kun_?” Aomine’s words were biting, but his heart sank.

If Kise had thought he’d be fine to go to a shoot… clearly he had underestimated something?

Kise stared at him for a few moments, blinking, before he shook his head slowly.

“Aominecchi… I… that was… with you… you were my first time.”

Aomine stared at him in shock.

“Wait… what?!”

Kise blushed, but his golden eyes stayed locked with Aomine’s. He took a step forward.

“Aominecchi was my first. I - ”

“How the fuck is that even possible, what, were you and Oikawa just sucking each other off all the time?!”

_Plus, I know you had sex with Mai-chan, I saw you!_

“That - that’s irrelevant here!” Kise spluttered.

“You seemed to know what you were doing pretty well when you - when you did it to me!”

“Is it so hard for you to say I _fucked_ you, Aominecchi?”

“Answer the damn question!”

Kise took a deep breath. “I guess I should rephrase. I’ve had sex before, but I - I never let anyone fuck me. I was never the - bottom - so to speak.”

Aomine’s throat went dry. “But you let me - so I was - ”

Kise’s lips twisted into a wry smile. “Yeah, I guess you were my first, in a way? At least the first person that I - ”

“Bottomed for.” Aomine finished for him, smirking widely.  

He could live with that. Hell yes, he could more than live with that.

_I’m the first person Kise bottomed for. I’m the first person Kise let fuck him. I basically took Kise’s virginity. So I pretty much count as Kise’s first. Me. I’m Kise’s first. Not that loser Oikawa, but me._

“I was going to say something along the lines of trusted,” Kise murmured, and for a second, Aomine thought he saw a flash of something akin to hurt in his eyes. “But I guess that’s what matters more, ne, Aominecchi? You’re the one I bottomed for first.”

He gave him a bright smile but Aomine narrowed his eyes.

_What did he mean by that comment just now?_

It didn’t matter though, and Aomine soon forgot about it. He was so drunk on his own ecstasy after this revelation that despite the blonde’s sexual experiences, _he_ , Aomine, was the first and only person that Kise let fuck him.

Kise stared at Aomine for a few moments, before shaking his head.

“You’re really getting a kick out of this, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice a mix of exasperation and amusement, and something more that Aomine couldn’t quite place.

Aomine gave him a shit-eating grin. “Well. Yeah. Pretty much.”

Kise rolled his eyes, before picking up the previously discarded basketball. “So are we going to play a one-on-one or not?”  

* * *

 

If their gameplay was subpar, it was entirely Aomine’s fault.

Well, Aomine’s fault _at first._

He had started it, after all. He couldn’t help himself really - Kise looked way too sexy in his post-modeling outfit - and there was something about the way Kise’s eyes sparkled in awe whenever Aomine dunked a ball right over his head that made him want to do it.

Aomine was up by three baskets when Kise managed to score his first that day.

The blonde looked so gleeful about it - as he always did whenever he got a basket past Aomine, even now.

_Too cute,_ Aomine had thought.

And he wanted more, more of a reaction.

So when Kise passed him, grinning happily, Aomine smirked back.

“Nice basket, model-chan,” he jeered, before spanking the blonde’s ass.

“Aominecchi!” Kise yelped, glowing bright red. “Wh-what was that for?! ”

Aomine shrugged, dribbling the ball lazy. “Sorry, you’re really cute, and I couldn’t help myself,” he drawled.

That seemed to overwhelm Kise even more, and Aomine scored his fourth basket rather easily.

“Aw, come on,” he teased, ruffling Kise’s hair. “If you’re going to get flustered by every other thing I say, you’ll never stand a chance.”

He actually reveled in the fact that his words and actions were having this much of an effect on Kise, and he fully enjoyed teasing the blonde and getting him all flustered.

It was something he had enjoyed ever since Teikou - teasing Kise, annoying him, pretending to ignore him, throwing basketballs at him, stealing his food - except now he was teasing him in an entirely different way.

_Would this be considered flirting,_ Aomine wondered.

Kise sulked for awhile, and Aomine egged him on a bit more, leaning in close when he tried shielding or blocking Kise’s dribbles, so that his chest brushed against Kise’s back.

Kise was pouting fiercely by the time Aomine had a five-basket lead.

“What?” Aomine finally asked, finding it hard to ignore the glare that was being thrown his way.

Kise was trying so hard to appear pissed off and intimidating - all the while blushing furiously and obviously fluttered - that it ended up being rather endearing.

“Aominecchi’s cheating!” Kise finally cried, pointing an accusing finger.

“Am I?” Aomine scratched his head. “How so? I haven’t committed any fouls, or stepped on your foot or anything.”

“You know what you’re doing! Don’t try to act dumb!”

Aomine continued the act, staring at Kise unfazed. “If you’re trying to find excuses for me kicking you ass, go ahead. It won’t change the score, I’m still winning by five points.”

Kise puffed his cheeks, looking adorably frustrated, and Aomine just leaned over to flick him in the forehead (holding back the urge to grab him and kiss him senseless), before tapping the basketball out of his hands.

“My basket means my possession, dumbass. Stop me if you can.”

Kise did manage to steal the ball from him this time, and Aomine turned to face him. They stared each other down, Aomine quickly running maneuvers through his head. Kise began dribbling, and Aomine watched him carefully.

Just as he was about to lunge, Kise’s eyes glanced downwards.

_What?!_ Aomine panicked inwardly, _don’t tell me I have a -_

Slowly, sensually, the blonde licked his lips.

_Fuck!_

Aomine’s brain short-circuited, and he wavered, even if only for a split second; which was enough for Kise to slam the ball past his fingertips for a fast break.

Aomine jumped up, but it was too late and this time, it was Kise who dunked the ball right above his head.

When they landed, Kise was openly smirking at him, his eyes full of laughter.

“You may have won if you’d stuck to just basketball, Aominecchi,” Kise said. “But two can play at this game too.”

He pulled the bottom of his shirt up to wipe the sweat off his forehead, giving Aomine a good eyeful of those delicious abs.

Aomine gulped, feeling his dick spring to life.

_That fucker!_

He cursed himself as well; after all, he was the one who had started it. Kise would have taken his earlier actions as some kind of perverted ploy to win the game; which hadn’t actually been Aomine’s intention at all, he’d just wanted to mess with Kise.

But when it came to a game of seduction and sultry looks…

_Who am I kidding, that's his forte, there’s no way I can beat him at shit like that._

****  


* * *

 

It ended as a tie. They were both at seven baskets, but Aomine finally lost his patience, slapping the ball out of Kise’s hands only to grab him by the waist and pull him close.

“Aominecch-”

“Shut up,” Aomine growled, cutting him off as he smashed their lips together. Kise started kissing back soon enough; the kiss was frenzied, both sets of hands wandering, until it seemed to finally register to Kise that they were in a public place, and he pulled away.

“Aominecchi!” he cried, and Aomine crossed his arms, prepared to enjoy the shrieking tantrum that would follow. “You - you can’t just - you can’t just do that!”

“Why not?”

“We - we’re in a public place! What if someone _sees_?!”

“Are you asking me to invite you over?”

“N-no! That’s not it! But you can’t just - _attack_ me like that - ” Kise was flailing.

“Each time you whine about me attacking you but each time you like it.”

“But we’re just - we’re not even - we - ”

“Are sex friends, right?”

“Yes - but - ”

“Well, it’s been two weeks.” Aomine took a step forward, yanking Kise towards him again, hovering his lips just over Kise’s. “Two weeks of no sex with my sex friend.”

“We had exams,” Kise murmured, squirming in Aomine’s grasp. “And camps.”

“But those are over now. You’re here,” Aomine said huskily, leaning down to press a kiss on Kise’s collarbone. “I can’t control myself any longer. I want you.”

“You - you could - at least wait - till we’re home,” Kise managed, though it was clear that he was succumbing.  

Aomine released him, brightening. “So you will come over then.”

Kise regarded him with a mix of shyness, fondness and exasperation.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Aomine grinned at him, feeling ridiculously happy - more happy than he had in the last two weeks after their first time - and Kise smiled back, cheeks dimpling.

 

* * *

 

“I drew again!” Kise crowed, as they walked back.

Aomine bumped the blonde's shoulder with his own. “You’re acting as if that counts as a victory.”

“Against Aominecchi it does!” Kise said. “I never used to be able to draw against you! But now I do, and a lot!”

“A lot?” Aomine snorted. “Please. Less than half the time we play.”

“Not true! At least eight of ten times,” Kise insisted.

“Keep dreaming, Kise.”

“Well I didn’t even use Perfect Copy today! We both know I’d beat you if I used that.”

“Yeah, for a few minutes, but then you’d collapse right after, before we were done,” Aomine pointed out, cuffing the Kise on the head. “I’d score a hundred baskets in the time before you got back up.”

“That’s not true! I’m improving on my stamina. One day I’ll be able to hold Perfect Copy for an entire match, and I’ll ruin you, Aominecchi!”

“That’ll be the day I use the Zone against you,” Aomine said, “so no, you won’t.”

“Yeah, speaking of, why _have_ you never used the Zone against me?” Kise asked, curious. “You used it against Kagamicchi. But never against me.”

He was sulking, and Aomine rolled his eyes. So Kise _had_ noticed that Aomine hadn’t ever entered the Zone against him.

“I guess for Aominecchi I’m still not good enough,” Kise pouted, and Aomine bonked him on the head.

“Idiot. That’s not it at all.”

“Then what is?”

“I - ” Aomine hesitated, wondering if he should admit it to him; he’d definitely face Kise as an opponent again during the next two Interhighs and Winter Cups. Would it really be wise to tell him the truth? To tell him that Aomine _couldn’t_ enter the Zone against him, that Aomine’s fondness for Kise impeded his ability, along with the fact that he was too distracted around Kise to concentrate wholly.

“Whaaat?” Kise was whining. “Kagamicchi’s good enough but I’m not?”

“I’m just saving it to use against you in an official match, baka,” Aomine snapped, before smirking. “You’ve already used Perfect Copy against me, so I’m kind of getting a hang of how to break it - ”

“Please, Aominecchi, you haven’t managed to get past it even once.”

“Well, keep spamming it during our one-on-ones and I will!”

“I don’t spam it,” Kise cried, affronted, before narrowing his eyes. “You’re right though. I may know all your tricks, but I’ve never actually seen you in the Zone. Aominecchi still has a secret weapon for when Touo plays Kaijou in the Interhigh…”

“Some secret weapon given you already know all about it.”

“Well, I’ve never played against it, and I’ve only seen it once,” Kise said. “So that’s why you never used it against me, huh? You were keeping it hidden. Smart…”

Aomine rolled his eyes. It wasn’t the reason at all, but if Kise thought that, well, it suited him. 

“More like you’re an idiot for using your ‘secret weapon’ against me.”

“Ah, well…” Kise gave him a brilliant smile. “If Aominecchi’s hiding his true potential from me, that means you actually consider me a threat, ne?”

“I’ve considered you a threat for a long time,” Aomine said bluntly, not missing the way Kise blushed at this. He couldn’t help but ask: “What will you do, if I use my Zone against you in an official match?”

Kise shot him a wicked smirk. “Oh, I don’t know, I recall some tactics that were rather effective during this one-on-one.”

_That might actually work better than you'd expect,_ Aomine thought. 

“Please,” he scoffed, “you were crying so much when I actually made a move on you because we were in a public place, even though there was nobody around. Like you have the balls to pull that shit in a stadium when everyone is watching.”

“That’s true,” Kise admitted. “It’s different when it’s just the two of us… I guess it’ll be my last attempt, if Kaijou’s in a real tight corner and Perfect Copy is worn out and you’re somehow still in the Zone,” he joked.

“The ultimate move of Kaijou’s ace, Kise Ryouta,” Aomine laughed. “The sexy technique.”

“Ugh, stop, you make me sound like I’m from Naruto or something,” Kise groaned, before perking up. “Though it’s super effective against you, ne, Aominecchi?”

“You were just lucky that I was horny today.”

“Aominecchi!”

“It’s true. I hadn’t seen you for two weeks, plus you came from a shoot with all that stupid shit on your face. And in your hair.”

“Aominecchi’s likes my makeup and hair gel?”

“I dunno, it makes you look different. Hotter. I mean, you’re always hot, but like, a different kind of hot.”

“Aww~ that’s so sweet!” Kise was positively sparkling. “You should come to one of my shoots~”

“No thanks.”

“Ehhhh? Why not?! But then you’ll see how they do all the makeup and stuff. Though it’s not much, really just foundation. I was told by my makeup artist that I don’t need much contouring because my bone structure is naturally - _Aominecchi_!” Kise tugged his tshirt. “Are you even listening?!”

“Of course not, why the hell would I want to listen to your dumb makeup ritual.”

“You said you liked it!”

“That doesn’t mean I give a shit.”

“Meeeean!”

“Whatever. Hey, there’s the convenience store, wanna grab ice cream or a popsicle or something first?”

“Oooh, I want a popsicle! Is Aominecchi paying?”

“Why the hell should I pay, I didn’t lose.”

“Nor did I. It’s a draw!”

“You pay, you have all that extra modelling money.”

“But I pay whenever you win!”

“So I should pay when we draw? That makes no sense.”

“But - but I haven’t been able to win against Aominecchi yet.”

“Not my problem. You’re still paying.”

“Fine, we’ll each buy our own,” Kise compromised.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Ehhh?! Fine, then at least do rock paper scissors on it!”

“No, I was totally winning Kise, before you decided to pull all that sexy shit.”

“But I only started it because Aominecchi started it first!”

“Who told you to be so damn pretty?!”

“Who told you to be so damn cool?!”

“You think I’m - ” Aomine grinned, and Kise rolled his eyes.

“It’s like, I can _see_ your ego inflating right in front of me.”

“Shut up, Kise. We’re going home.”

“Ehhh?! What about my popsicle?!”

Aomine lowered his voice, whispering in Kise’s ear. “Hey, Kise, if you really want to suck on a popsicle, you can always - ”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Aominecchi!” Kise cried, covering his face with his hands. “Just don’t.”

Aomine grinned, wrapping his arm around Kise’s shoulder. “You’re totally thinking about it now, aren’t you?”

“That was the most _terrible_ pick-up line ever, Aominecchi, terrible isn’t even the word.”

“Don’t lie, you’re totally turned on right now.”

“Shut up!”

* * *

 

Needless to say, Kise got his ‘popsicle’ that night. And more, _much_ , much more.

* * *

 

It became their new habit of sorts; it was summer, and even with Kise’s modeling picking up, they both had quite a lot of spare time.

Meeting up for basketball, preceded by or followed by lunch or dinner, depending on what time they met up. This usually ended with Aomine or Kise spending the night, which almost always started out with video games, which always led to making out, which always led to sex.

Sometimes they skipped the video games.

They met up with Satsuki from time to time, and often Kuroko and Kagami as well. Fortunately, none of them seemed to suspect the new dimension to Aomine and Kise’s relationship.

The roughhousing and flirting had been a thing since middle school after all, and both of them were careful not to get too touchy in front of the others.

And if it was weird for sex friends to hang out that much, to spend the night at one another’s houses, to eat lunch and dinner together… Kise never mentioned it, and Aomine didn’t care either way.

Regardless of whatever tag was attached to their admittedly weird relationship, it didn’t matter to Aomine. Kise was all his.

* * *

 

“Nope.” Aomine flopped back down on his bed, and the pink-haired girl sighed.

“And why not?”

“Satsuki I can’t go alone, you know I suck at picking shit out.”

“Dai-chan, it’s not that difficult - ”

“I just won’t go then.”

“Don’t be like that, your mother specifically asked me to make sure you bought new clothes.”

“So then come with me.”

“I can’t, Dai-chan, I promised Wakamatsu-senpai and coach I would go with them to watch the middle school streetball matches to help scout!”

“I’m not going without you,” Aomine grunted, flopping back down on his bed. “I hate shopping anyways and I can’t go alone.”

“You’re so spoilt, Dai-chan!” Momoi scolded him. “If you’re so averse to going alone, why don’t you just asked Ki-chan?”

“Kise?” Aomine raised an eyebrow. “Why the hell would he want to go shopping?”

“Dai-chan, do you even know Ki-chan?” Momoi asked, exasperated. “He loves shopping. Besides, his sense of style is really good, better than mine even. He would be the best person to go with.”

“Two guys can’t go shopping together,” Aomine grumbled. “That’s just - ”

“Just what?”

“I dunno. Like a weird _date_ or something…”

“It’s never like that when you’re with me.”

“You’re different. With Kise it would just be too weird.”

“You hang out with him all the time! He sleeps over practically every other night!”

“Yeah, but that’s different.”

“How?!”

“We hang out in my room or play basketball. The most we do is go to Maji Burger. Chill stuff like that.”

“It’s not like I’m telling you to take him to Disneyland!” Momoi exclaimed, before looking thoughtful. “Hey, that would be fun, let’s all go to Disneyland and invite Tetsu-kun - ”

“No. Satsuki, I’m not going, to Disneyland or Shibuya, or any of these date places with Kise.”

“How are they _date places_? Disney, okay, fine, but how is _Shibuya_ a date place?!”

“It _is_ ,” Aomine insisted. “All those weird couples walking around with crepes.”

“That’s _Harajuku!_ And you don’t have to eat crepes with him if you don’t want to! How do you even _know_ about stuff like that…”

“It was in the stupid shoujo anime you made me watch last week.”

“Well, anime isn’t real life!”

“I’m still not going.”

“Tetsu-kun and Kagami-kun go shopping in Shibuya all the time!”

“And why the hell should I do what Bakagami does?!”

“You’re missing the point!”

“What point?”

Satsuki gave an exaggerated sigh. “Dai-chan, it’s a stupid trip to the mall, you’re just overthinking stuff, which is so unlike you in the first place - ”

“Because you’re telling me to take Kise shopping and that’s just _weird_.”

“Stop making excuses, Dai-chan, you know you want to ask him,” Momoi said, swatting him on the head, before sighing. “Fine, suit yourself.”

Five minutes later, Aomine’s phone buzzed.

**Aomincchi~ Momoicchi said you needed someone to go shopping with you and were too shy to ask me yourself *~(^o-)**

“Screw you, Satsuki!”

* * *

 

_This is not a fucking date or anything,_ Aomine muttered to himself as he waited outside Shibuya station.

A golden-haired man in a white mask and sunglasses tapped him on the back. Aomine jumped, before he recognized who it was.

“What the fuck, Kise?” Aomine demanded, gesturing at his getup. “What are you, an undercover detective?”

“Aominecchi figured out it was me.”

“Of course I did! But why are you dressed like such a moron?”

There was no way Aomine would mistake Kise for anyone else, even if most of his face was covered. Kise just gestured to a poster - of himself - and sighed. “We’re in Shibuya, Aominecchi, half those malls have posters of me, I don’t want to be mobbed by fans or anything.”

Aomine raised an eyebrow. “You never minded the attention.”

“Well… I thought Aominecchi would get annoyed if we had to keep stopping to take photos and stuff,” Kise mumbled.

_How considerate of him._

“Well at least take the stupid sunglasses off, it’s obnoxious and the mask covers enough anyways.”

_Plus, I want to see you eyes._

Kise obliged, pocketing them, said golden eyes crinkling. “So, what did you want to buy exactly?”

“Ah. Just. I don’t know. Clothes. Basketball shit.”

“You’re so hopeless, Aominecchi,” Kise said sadly, shaking his head. “It’s a good thing Momoicchi texted me a list!”

“What the hell?! Satsuki did that?”

“Momoicchi is so kind, always taking care of you.”

“She’s a meddling busybody. It’s annoying.”

“And yet you didn’t want to go shopping without her~”

“Shut up. I’m here with you now. You better be useful.”

* * *

 

The shopping trip was normal. Surprisingly normal. And nice.

They weren’t fucking or kissing or doing anything lewd at all. They weren’t even eating or playing video games or doing anything basketball-related.

They were just hanging out - the way they had so often during Teikou, before the Mai-chan incident.

Aomine found that he still enjoyed just hanging out with Kise, just being around him. Somehow, even shopping - something Aomine despised - seemed more fun, when Kise was there.

He enjoyed goofing around with him and making immature jokes which only the pair of them would understand. Sometimes, he wouldn’t even have to finish his sentence, and Kise would already be cracking up, eyes sparkling. He enjoyed the way sometimes Kise’s eyes would light up and he’d turn to look at him in a certain way, and Aomine would somehow just know what Kise was thinking, and it would crack him up too.

He enjoyed listening to Kise’s enthusiastic and never-ending chatter, though he tuned him out half the time, or at least pretended to, to get on Kise’s nerves.

He enjoyed pulling Kise’s hair and teasing him, watching the pretty face pout and sulk; even though the expressions were hidden under the mask, Aomine knew them well enough to imagine them, and Kise’s eyes had always been very expressive.

He enjoyed the way Kise’s eyes would light up when he saw something he liked, or the way he would glare balefully when he thought Aomine was being mean to him.

And he enjoyed the casual little touches. The way Kise would let Aomine sling an arm casually around his neck or drag him around. The way Kise would brush Aomine’s arm or shoulder to catch his attention.

“Mm, I think you should go for this one,” Kise proclaimed, holding up a dark blue polo shirt to Aomine’s chest and surveying it. “Yep, it’ll look good on you. It brings out the blue in your eyes.”

“Who the hell even notices shit like that,” Aomine mumbled, fighting down a blush.

Kise was just talking, like he always did. It didn’t mean anything.

“You should get a size smaller though,” Kise went on. “Aominecchi always buys such baggy clothes.”

“Because they’re comfortable.”

“Yes, but if you buy this size it’ll accentuate your pectorals and your muscles,” A finger trailed over his bicep and Aomine shuddered. Kise smirked.

“I don’t wear shirts though,” Aomine muttered. “It’s so formal. When would I wear it.”

“Oh, I don’t know a party, a date,” Kise said airily. “It’s always good to keep some semi-formal stuff around, and Satsuki said you don’t have any that fit.”

“Can’t you get a darker shade? Or just black?”

“But this shade matches your eyes perfectly, Aominecchi!”

_He knows my exact eye color?_

It shouldn’t have been a big deal. Kise was a model, Kise was conscious of physical appearances, Kise liked clothes and fashion, so of course Kise would notice. Aomine had noticed Kise's eye color, of course, he had memorized that molten gold, the way it seemed to turn a shade darker in the bedroom, the way it was flecked with amber and yellow in the sunlight.

“Whatever, just get whatever you want, I don’t care.”

 

* * *

 

 

It got worse when the moved onto the jeans section.

“I’ll just try them out over my basketball shorts,” Aomine said, pulling them on.

Kise stared at him, scandalized.

“Aominecchi you can’t do that! How will you be able to tell if they fit properly?!”

“Who cares about that - ”

“Just take them to the fitting room - ”

And then Kise’s hand was on the zipper, tugging it down. Aomine smacked it away, flushing, and Kise’s eyes glinted with amusement. Aomine could practically see the knowing smirk through the mask.

“Shut up,” Aomine snapped at him.

“But I didn’t even say anything-”

“You were about to. So shut up.”

 

* * *

 

They took the shirt, the jeans, and a few basketball tanks and shorts. The fitting rooms were unmanned, so Aomine grabbed Kise’s hand and yanked him in.

“Aominecchi!” Kise yelped. "What are you doing?!" 

“Don’t give me that innocent shit,” Aomine growled at him, pulling the mask down.

_I can't believe he has the nerve to act flustered after flirting with me so much earlier. He was totally asking for this._

Kise smiled at him charmingly, in a way that made his heartrate speed up.

“You were being a tease,” Aomine grunted at him. 

“I wasn’t,” Kise protested. “Aominecchi just has a one-track mind.”

“Get over yourself.”

“Hm, don’t you think you should try on your clothes now?”

“Come here.”

Kise took a step forward, and Aomine grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him in and kissing the smiling mouth.

Kise’s arms looped around his neck and Aomine’s trailed down Kise’s back to wrap around his waist.

“Mm… I was wondering… when you’d lose it… and finally… kiss me…” Kise murmured between kisses.

“So you admit… you were being like that… on purpose?”

“Maybe just a little.”

“Idiot.”

“What?” Kise pulled away, giving him a dazzling smile. “I’m not allowed to flirt with Aominecchi.”

“You flirt with everything that moves,” Aomine snorted.

“That’s not true!” Kise cried, affronted.

“It is.” Aomine picked up a shirt and then shoved Kise towards the curtain. “Now get out.”

“H-huh?” Kise looked shocked. “You don’t want me to stay here? Help you change?”

He practically purred the last bit, leaning forward so that his lips were brushing against Aomine’s and their crotches were practically rubbing together.

Aomine wanted nothing more than to keep him in there for longer. It took all of his self control to shove Kise away and out of the stall.

“Aominecchi!” Kise was whining. “That hurt.”

“Wait for me, I won’t be long.”

Aomine cursed mentally as he turned back to try on his new jeans. He had a raging boner, as expected.

_Still, I can’t let him think he has power over me or some shit. I have to deny him - even if it means denying myself - at least once in a while._

****  


* * *

 

“Did it all fit properly?” Kise asked cheerily once Aomine exited.

“Yep.”

“Even the jeans?”

“Yep.”

“So they weren’t too… tight or anything?”

Aomine did not miss the deliberate way in which Kise’s eyes swept down to his barely visible but very much present boner.

“Go die.”

* * *

 

“I’m hungry,” Kise whined, as they walked out of the mall.

“There was a food court, you should have said something, baka.”

“But I don’t like food courts.”

“Where would you like to go then, hime-sama?”

“Don’t call me that!” Kise swatted at him, before his eyes lit up. “Ne, Aominecchi, look at that cafe! It looks cute and the ice cream looks really yummy.”

_Is this a date?_ Aomine wondered as he allowed himself to be dragged along by Kise. The cafe definitely looked like one of those 'weird date places' he’d been griping to Satsuki about earlier.

His rather pleasant train of thoughts was interrupted when Kise shrieked excitedly.

_Why do I like this idiot again?_

“Kurokocchi! Kagamicchi!!”

“Eh?”

“Aominecchi, look!” Kise pointed excitedly.

Kuroko and Kagami noticed them as well, waving and walking towards them.

“Let’s all go get ice cream together!” Kise cheered.

Aomine didn’t know why, but it was the first time he was actually slightly disappointed to see the Seirin pair.

Not to mention, Kuroko and Kagami were both holding bags, likely containing basketball shoes.

_Satsuki’s right, two guys going shopping together isn’t that big of a deal then… even Tetsu and Bakagami do it…_

****  


* * *

 

“We should have just gone to Maji,” Kagami grumbled, staring at the menu. “All the shit here is shaped like animals.”

“Kagamicchi, you go to Maji all the time,” Kise dismissed him. “See, plus they have milkshakes, Kurokocchi loves milkshakes!”

Aomine and Kise were crammed into a little booth in the cheery cafe, opposite Kuroko and Kagami.

“I’ll try the strawberry shake,” Kuroko decided. “Kagami-kun, they have steak.”

“Shaped like a teddy bear,” Kagami muttered. “Even I’ll feel bad eating this.”

“I’m having the vanilla ice cream,” Kise chirped. “What about Aominecchi?”

His knee bumped Aomine’s under the table.

“I’ll have the omurice,” Aomine said absently, wondering whether it had been an accident or whether Kise had done it deliberately.

He snuck a look at Kise, but the blonde was busy chattering animatedly with Kuroko. 

* * *

 

After they placed the order (the waitress swooning and blushing as Kise spoke to her, much to Aomine’s chagrin) their conversation inevitably turned towards basketball.

“I have the entire NBA season on DVD,” Kagami was saying as he attacked his teddy-steak. “You guys should come over one weekend. We can marathon it.”

“Ooh, that sounds so fun!” Kise said, practically sparkling with glee as he dug into his ice cream, shaped like a bunny rabbit. “We should make a drinking game out of it!”

“We’re not legal, dumbass,” Aomine said, whacking his head, all the while intensely aware of how Kise’s calves brushed against his.

_Is he doing it on purpose? Or is it because the booth is small and crammed?_

“How would you make a drinking game out of an NBA match?” Kagami frowned, but looked intrigued.

“Oh, you know, pick a team. Drink each time your opponent scores.”

“That’s fucking crazy, we’ll die, you know those scores run into the hundreds!”

“Well, not each time, but say, one shot every five baskets.”

“That’s still - ”

“Fine, ten. Plus, diluted alcohol.”

“Okay. These include all baskets? Free throws too?”

“Well yeah, but then an extra for a dunk or alley-oop or three - ”

“What about fouls?” Aomine joined in, also interested. It did sound ridiculously fun.

“Well you’d drink for your own team then,” Kise said.

“That would have to be really dilute,” Kagami - ever the responsible one - added.

“And how would we decide who drinks for what team, if we already know the outcome?” Aomine demanded.

“Well, we could flip a coin,” Kise paused. “I guess it would only work for a live match.”

“Or one of the preliminaries nobody cares about,” Kagami piped up. “Between two teams that we know didn’t qualify, but we don’t know the individual per-match results of.”

“Or a match that ended in a draw to make it fair,” Kise added. “Though it would be more fun if we didn’t know the result ourselves. Then we’d be actually rooting for a victory.”

“This all sounds very dangerous,” Kuroko said, finally contributing to their discussion.

“Aww, Kurokocchi, don’t be like that!” Kise leaned forward and ruffled Kuroko’s hair, much to both Kuroko and Aomine’s annoyance. “We should invite Midorimacchi and the others too!”

“Midorima would never join something like this,” Aomine pointed out.

“That is probably true,” Kuroko agreed. “I cannot imagine Midorima-kun enjoying something that involves underage drinking.”

“Midorimacchi will just pretend to be judging us all when he’s secretly enjoying himself,” Kise waved them off. “If I invite Takaocchi, he’ll drag him along.”

“How would we procure alcohol?”

“Oh come on, Kagamicchi, you look twenty. I bet Aominecchi and I could totally pass for it too, if we tried. As long as Kurokocchi’s not with us…” Kise looked apologetically at Kuroko, who took a long sip of his milkshake, blue eyes blank.

Aomine polished off the last of his omurice, and reached for Kise’s spoon.

“No, Aominecchi, order your own,” Kise scolded, swatting him away. “You always do this.”

“Oh come on, just a bite.”

“Order your own!”

“It’s overpriced.”

“You’re hopeless,” Kise sighed, finally relenting and he leaned in, his shoulder brushing against Aomine’s and one finger turning Aomine’s chin towards him. “Here. Say ahh~”

Aomine felt his entire body flush as Kise fed him shamelessly, with Kuroko and Kagami right there.

Neither of them said anything, but Aomine swore he could feel the weight of Kuroko’s calculating, _judging_ stare.

“Oh, I also could ask my manager to get us some, if you guys are too worried,” Kise added, continuing the previous conversation as if nothing had happened.

“That might be better,” Kagami agreed. “So we have the four of us, plus a few of the Seirin members may want to join. Anyone from Kaijou or Touou?”

“Oooh are we making this a party?” Kise sounded delighted as he took a bite of ice cream. “I could ask some of my senpai, though Kasamatsu-senpai would probably clobber me if he knew I was providing the alcohol. Oh, we are inviting the graduating members as well, right?”

“Sure,” Kagami said. “Teppei’s in America, but Hyuuga would come.”

“Nobody from Touou,” Aomine said. “I guess Satsuki would want to come. Though she’s not allowed to drink.”

“Aominecchi’s like an overprotective father,” Kise said, rolling his eyes as he fed Aomine another spoonful.

Aomine took it gratefully - though he was more excited about the fact that Kise was just so casually feeding him, rather than the ice cream.

_Doesn't he realize how this looks?!_

“Besides, you should be more worried about the fact that she’s only girl in a house full of drunk teenage boys, most of whom probably have never gotten any action,” Kise added, “rather than whether or not she drinks.”

“You’re right, Satsuki’s not invited anymore.”

“Our coach would be there,” Kagami pointed out.

“I don’t think she would approve of underage drinking either,” Kuroko said.

“Yes but I’m sure if Hyuuga comes she will too,” Kagami reasoned. “As long as we keep her out of the kitchen.”

“Satsuki would still be the only single girl,” Kise pointed out.

“Huh?” Kagami blinked. “Coach has a boyfriend?”

“Please, she and your ex-captain are practically dating.”

“How do you know that?! You don’t even _go_ to Seirin.”

“It’s obvious. Here, Aominecchi, open up.”

“Kagami-kun isn’t very observant about such things,” Kuroko said, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed Kise feed Aomine the third spoon of ice cream.

“Oi, what is that supposed to mean?” Kagami demanded. “I notice things. Speaking of which - ” he turned to Aomine and Kise. “Are you two - ah - nevermind, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm?” Kise asked, innocuously enough, but Kagami didn’t press the issue.

“So when would we do this?” Aomine asked quickly. “It can’t be on a morning before practice, and it can’t be before a tournament. So probably this summer is the only option. Plus, there needs to be a good match we can catch live.”

“Maybe we can make it a late graduation party for all our senpai…” Kise said excitedly.

“Yeah, a joint party,” Kagami agreed. “We can throw them one.”

“That’s a great idea, like all the teams together! Sounds fun, ne, Kurokocchi!”

“Yes, Kise-kun, it does.”

“It’s so sad Akashicchi and Murasakibaracchi would miss it…”

“We could also do it after the streetball tournament in the last week of summer break.”

“Yeah, then everyone would be here. Aominecchi, here, I’ll be nice and give you the last spoonful.”

“Eh, I didn’t ask for it - ”

“I can see it in your eyes, Aominecchi, open up~”

 

* * *

 

Kuroko and Kagami hadn’t commented on their behavior but Aomine was now certain - from Kuroko’s comments which could have very well had a double meaning, and Kagami’s unasked question - that they had picked up on something.

He was surprised when it didn’t bother him as much as he expected it to.

No, what was bothering him more was Kise’s hand, resting lightly on Aomine’s knee under the table. Aomine wanted nothing more than to reach under the table and hold it, to thread his fingers through Kise’s.

Despite having made out and passed all the bases, they hadn’t held hands even once.

It was stupid and Aomine felt even stupider for wanting to do such a trivial thing. His fingers inched towards Kise’s under the table; Kise was too caught up in the conversation to notice, and Kuroko and Kagami wouldn’t be able to see.

_He already fed me ice cream like we’re some silly couple on a stupid date. It’s not a big deal if I just try to hold his hand, right?_

His heart was pounding. It was ridiculous, he was getting more riled up than he did during a particularly thrilling one-on-one.

_We had sex. I fucked him. He fucked me. We sucked each other off. It’s just his hand. The same hand that jerked me off and -_

Aomine withdrew his hand, sighing.

He didn’t know why but he felt horribly stupid and flustered and it didn’t make any sense. All he knew was that he really really wanted to hold Kise’s hand. He also knew that if he did, it would somehow change things, change the dynamic they had going on between them.

What if Kise thought something Aomine didn’t want him to think? What if he got the wrong impression? Why did Aomine even care about stupid shit like this?

“Order the bill already,” Aomine grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’m sick of this place.

* * *

 

“Bakagami,” Aomine challenged immediately once they were out of the cafe. “One-on-one.”

“Me and Kurokocchi are here too you know,” Kise pouted.

“Bakagami,” Aomine repeated. “Two-on-two. You and Tetsu versus me and Kise.”

“Aomine-kun,” Kuroko began, but Kagami cut in, fired up.

“You’re on.”

“Ehhh, but I want to be on Kurokocchi’s team,” Kise whined.

“What the fuck?” Aomine glared at him, before shoving him away. “Actually you know what, Bakagami, you can have this idiot. I’m with Tetsu.”

“Aominecchi doesn’t want me!” Kise cried, clutching his heart theatrically and feigning hurt.

“Haah? Why do I have to be with Kise?” Kagami demanded.

“Kagamicchi doesn’t want me either?!” Kise wailed. “Two rejections at once! ”

“Well I don’t want to be stuck with that loser,” Aomine snapped, gesturing at Kise. “And I haven’t teamed up with Tetsu in ages.”

“Loser?!” Kise moaned. “Aominecchi’s _cruel_!”

“It’s either him or me,” Aomine told Kagami, who frowned, before conceding.

“Kise over Ahomine, any day.”

“Kagamicchi!” Kise brightened up, and Aomine turned to Kuroko.

“Yo, Tetsu, you wanna be on my team, right?”

“Yes, I would like to, Aomine-kun, but we - ”

“Kagamicchi, we’ll show them.”

“Hell yeah.”

“Please, like the two of you stand a chance in hell against me and Tetsu.”

“What are the rules?” Kise asked.

“No Zone,” Kagami said. “We’ll play normally.”

“Fine with me,” Aomine agreed. “No Zone and no Perfect Copy.”

Kise and Kagami were getting rather pumped up, and so was Aomine, but Kuroko finally interrupted the trio. “ _Kagami-kun. Aomine-kun. Kise-kun_.”

“Oh, what’s up, Tetsu?” Aomine finally asked, turning to him.

“As much as I would enjoy playing a two-on-two,” Kuroko said regretfully. “Kagami-kun and I need to be at Seirin. Our training camp starts today, and we’re supposed to be there at 4 pm.”

“Damn, that completely slipped my mind!” Kagami exclaimed, checking his watch. “We’ll be late if we don’t hurry. Oi, Kuroko, why didn’t you say something earlier?!”

“I tried to, but you were all too distracted.”

“Well, rain-check on the two-on-two, then,” Kagami said. “We’ll meet up once we’re back.”

“I’ll text you, Aomine-kun, Kise-kun,” Kuroko added. “Nice bumping into you today.”

“Yeah,” Aomine said, nodding. “We’ll play soon. Seeya.”

“Kurokocchi, you’re leaving,” Kise fake-sobbed. “We just met you after so long!”

Aomine scowled; the blonde was being melodramatic, as usual. Kise descended on Kuroko, open-armed, for a hug, until an incensed Aomine - and Kagami - both yanked him back by the collar, before exchanging a quick look of mutual understanding.

_Bakagami’s not that bad after all, even off court,_ Aomine decided, as he dragged Kise off. Kuroko and Kagami waved goodbye, and left in the opposite direction.

“Aominecchi, stop manhandling me,” Kise insisted, and Aomine roughly released him.

“Why are you never that sad when _I_ leave,” Aomine grumbled.

“Ahh, is Aominecchi jealous?” Kise asked, eyes twinkling as he leaned into Aomine’s personal space .

“What the fuck?” Aomine shoved him away. “No. I just don’t get why you’re always all over Kuroko.”

“Because he’s so small and cute,” Kise insisted, before blushing and adding, “besides, I’d be too shy to act like that with Aominecchi.”

“Shy?” Aomine was amused. “You’ve said and done a lot worse with me, you know.”

“Yes, but, I mean.” Kise shrugged. “I’ve always been like this with Kurokocchi. With Aominecchi it was always… different.”

“Different? How so? Before the fucking, I mean.”

“I don’t know. It just was. Besides, I see Aominecchi almost every day, but I miss hanging out with Kurokocchi. And playing on the same team as him.”

“Yeah, me too,” Aomine said, reminiscing fondly. “I miss receiving his passes.”

“I know right! Kurokocchi’s passes were like magic.”

“I’m glad for him. That he found Bakagami, I mean. They make a good team. Light and Shadow, or whatever.”

“Aominecchi, do you regret that it’s not you?” Kise asked, surprisingly perceptive.

“Sometimes, yeah. Tetsu used to be my Shadow or whatever, right? Our gameplay was really compatible.”

“It was, wasn’t it? Kurokocchi was good at playing with all of us.”

“I regret that I didn’t recognize and respect him the way I should have, at the end,” Aomine admitted. “But he set me straight, at the Winter Cup, didn’t he? Besides, I think that as a Light and Shadow, him and Bakagami are more compatible.”

“If you’re lonely, I could always become your Shadow,” Kise suggested, half-teasing.

Aomine scoffed at him. “ _You?_ My Shadow? In place of Tetsu? Are you kidding?”

“Why not? Am I not good enough to replace Kurokocchi?”

“You’re too bright to be my Shadow, idiot,” Aomine muttered, and Kise beamed at him.

“I’ll be your Light then. The Light to your Light.”

Aomine snorted. “That makes no sense at all.”

Still, he liked the sound of it. _The Light to my Light. The Light that shines brightly, threatening to outshine me, forcing me to shine ever brighter._

It was cheesy as hell, and he’d never say it to Kise, but it did have a nice ring to it. And it made sense; at least as much sense as Kuroko being their Shadow did.

As they continued walking, Aomine was once again overcome by the urge, to reach out and take Kise’s hand. Their knuckles had brushed a few times while they walked.

He held himself back though, and instead asked. “Hey, if you don’t have plans do you want to come over? We can play one-on-one at the park near my place, and then hang out.”

“Hang out?” Kise’s tone was suggestive.

“Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“I would love to play basketball and hang out with Aominecchi!” Kise sang happily. “Let’s go. Ooh, and we should do dinner with Momoicchi!”

* * *

 

They played one-on-one seriously for an hour. And yet, Aomine had scored just six times, and Kise had managed only five baskets.

“One more!” Kise begged, flushed and sweaty.

“Huh? But we’ve been at it for ages. I’m tired.” Aomine spun the ball on his index finger, fully aware how cool he looked and, moreso, how cool Kise found him when he was kicking his ass at basketball.

Though, with Kise’s rapid growth, Aomine didn’t think he could call it ‘kicking his ass’ anymore. They were so well-matched that it was becoming near-impossible for either of them to breakthrough and score a basket; every attempt was foiled or blocked, and their score was extremely low for a one-on-one.

Aomine had struggled to keep his one-basket lead on Kise the entire time, and the bastard copied everything he did with a flawless grace, and had even managed to surprise him with a jump and dunk that screamed Kagami.

Not that Aomine was going to lose. He had pulled all of his trickiest and fastest streetball maneuvers, finding a new way to dunk the ball right over Kise’s head each time, all the while maintaining the appearance that he wasn’t actually putting in much effort or concentration. Of course, formless shots would have been less of an effort to execute, but Kise always got so sparkly-eyed and fascinated when he saw Aomine dunk, and Aomine didn’t think he’d get tired of hearing the adoring ‘Aominecchi, so cool’ praise fall from Kise’s perfect lips.

Even though he made it look like he wasn’t tired or bothered (because if Kise thought it was cool how effortless everything seemed for him, he would damn well make it seem effortless, no matter how much effort in actually took), he wanted nothing more than to lie down and take a nap.

“Aominecchi, come on,” Kise pleaded. “I’m one basket away from a tie.”

“Tch. Like you’ll be able to do that,” Aomine scoffed. “I’ve maintained my lead this entire time, you won’t be able to do shit.”

“Just one more, I swear it’ll be the last.” Kise pouted, his eyes beseeching.

“Fine,” Aomine sighed.

Damn Kise and his adorableness and damn himself for not being able to resist it; something which he knew Kise knew and took advantage of.

_Well I’m not the only one who can take advantage of things like that,_ Aomine decided. In truth, he was exhausted. Kise was improving rapidly, and keeping his lead on Kise had been taxing. He didn’t think he would last much longer. He needed to end this and fast, because if Kise somehow managed to tie the score, their egos would demand a tiebreaker, and he just wasn’t feeling up for that.

He dribbled the ball, nodding at Kise, who got up, and came at him. Aomine spun around and crossed over with the ball - way too suddenly and quickly for a normal player to counter - but Kise caught his turn, and was on him again; as he’d anticipated.

Aomine was backing the basket now; not that this would pose a problem. If anything, it would just up his cool factor, since Kise loved it when he did backwards shots.

Golden eyes stared into sapphire blue.

Then Aomine moved, swiftly, weaving, dribbling, slamming the ball hard against the pavement - but Kise had him marked tightly, and it was proving frustrating to break past his defense.

They were close,  _so close_ , as Aomine dribbled the ball in his right hand, angling it so it was practically behind his own back. Kise lunged forward - just as he expected - and with his left hand, Aomine grabbed the collar of his jersey to yank him up and mash their lips together.

Kise responded to the kiss almost immediately, hungrily, his hands going to rake down Aomine’s chest. Aomine smirked against his lips; this time it was his upper hand. Sliding his eyes shut as he deepened the kiss - Kise’s eyes were already closed - he hurled the ball up with his free hand. It arced over both their heads.

The telltale _swish_ of the net was what made Kise yank away, eyes wide.

“What?!” he gaped.

The ball thudded to the ground, bouncing a few times, before it rolled away.

“I win.” Aomine grinned at him, and Kise looked flabbergasted.

“When did you - ”

“When you were distracted.”

“How -”

“Over your head.” Aomine’s smirk grew as Kise continued to flail, golden eyes growing wider and wider by the second.

“But - but - you - that - that has to be a foul! Contact foul!”

Aomine crossed his arms. “Don’t tell me you’re actually feeling upset about that?”

“I am! I am upset! You cheated - but - ”

“But?”

“I’m…” Kise flushed ten shades of red. “That was really cool, Aominecchi. Really really cool. I’m kind of - weirdly turned on right now.”

“That’s good,” Aomine took a step towards him, letting their noses brushed. Kise’s breath was hot against his lips. “So you won’t mind if I claim my prize? For winning this round?”

“I’m all yours,” Kise said breathlessly, and then Aomine pushed him so that his back was against the basketball hoop pole, and kissed him hard.

* * *

 

“I made dinner,” Momoi announced brightly when Aomine and Kise staggered back to Aomine’s house, flushed and breathless, their hair mussed and lips swollen.

"Momoicchi!" Kise greeted, panting. "How - nice - of you."

“Wow, that must have been an intense one-on-one,” she noted. “You both look really roughed up. Who won?”

“Aominecchi,” Kise said immediately.

“I’ll take a bath down here,” Aomine said. “Kise, you can use my bathroom upstairs.”

“Be quick, both of you,” Momoi said. “The food will get cold!”

* * *

 

Momoi left after dinner, leaving Aomine and Kise alone (Aomine’s parents were out that night on a business trip, as they often were).

They walked up to Aomine’s room.

Aomine was pretty sure that if he initiated something, it would lead to sex almost immediately. Kise had seemed pretty eager earlier after all, but they had been on the courts, so it hadn’t gone beyond making out and some wandering hands.

They played video games for about ten minutes, until Aomine put down his controller and crawled up behind Kise, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Aominecchi…”

Aomine kissed along his neck, prying the controller away from his hands.

“But - we already - ”

“We just made out out,” Aomine said huskily, his hand sliding up the front of Kise’s shirt, while the other gripped Kise’s jaw, angling his head back to give Aomine better access to his neck. “I won by two baskets.”

“The last one - was - cheating - ” Kise said breathlessly as Aomine licked down the column of his throat.

“Stop me if it bothers you that much,” Aomine murmured, before turning Kise’s head so that he could kiss him full on the mouth.

* * *

 

Aomine was right: winning really did give him some kind of leverage over Kise in the bedroom. After being beaten, the blonde was strangely docile that night, as if in some kind of hero-worship mode, content to let Aomine fuck him and pretty much doing whatever Aomine asked of him.

Aomine managed to get a blowjob and top that night.

* * *

 

It became a ritual of sorts, after their one-on-ones. The winner would top, and the loser ended up administering a blowjob. Aomine’s rules, after three consecutive wins. Kise finally managed to win their fourth round three days ago, but Aomine won the fifth.

“It’s unfair,” Kise pouted. “Just because Aominecchi’s better than me at basketball doesn’t mean I should have to bottom all the time. We should alternate.”

“Maybe if you stopped letting me kick your ass, we would. I’m starting to think you’re losing on purpose because you enjoy getting fucked by me that much.”

“Not true!” Kise protested shrilly, flushing. “I mean - I do enjoy it - but I wouldn’t lose on purpose!”

“You were singing a different tone three nights ago after you won.”

“I also don’t think blowjobs corresponding to a point difference is a necessary ‘punishment’ or whatever weird kinky notion you have in your head.”

“The point difference has never been more than one basket, what are you bitching about?”

“My mouth hurts! Aominecchi has… more stamina than before.”

“You mean I last longer?”

“You didn’t come for ten whole minutes last time!”

“Really? Thought it was more like five.”

“Still!” Kise puffed his cheeks, before smirking. “I guess that’s partially my fault though. I’ll just have to talk you into coming before I take you in my mouth next time.”

Those words and that smirk alone were enough to make Aomine’s dick twitch. He didn’t doubt that Kise _could_ probably talk him into coming without actually touching his cock. It was a hypothesis worth testing, at some point.

“I’m sick of it, Aominecchi,” Kise continued. 

“If you want to top more, we should just have more sex,” Aomine said reasonably. “You know, all the times when we are hanging out that aren’t just after a one-on-one.”

“That doesn’t happen anymore,” Kise whined. “Every time we hang out, you challenge me to a one-on-one, and then that leads to-”

“So now you’re bitching that I challenge you to too many one-on-ones? What about the two entire years - ”

“Less than two, Aominecchi suddenly stopped playing me at the end of third year,” Kise sulked.

Aomine ignored that and continued. “We spent almost every single day of Teikou playing one-on-ones. Not to mention recently we’ve been playing often as well. You’ve challenged me, what, a couple hundred times?!”

“I challenged you because I enjoy playing basketball with Aomenicchi! _You’re_ doing it for the blowjobs!” Kise accused.

Aomine’s lips quirked. “That’s not true, I enjoy the part before, the part that involves playing you as well. The blowjobs are just an added benefit.”

“The blowjobs are the only reason you keep challenging me and not… I don’t know… Kagamicchi!”

“If you want me to suck you off that badly, Kise, you just have to ask.”

“That’s not the point!” Kise seemed genuinely upset now. “The point is, it used to be about basketball and hanging out together, but now it’s just about - ”

“Basketball and hanging out together and having sex. I don’t see your point.” Aomine raised an eyebrow. “Besides, even without the sex, I’d go with you over Kagami any day, you know that, right?”

That seemed to mollify Kise slightly, but he was still pouting. “Aominecchi just wants me for my body.”

“Now you’re being melodramatic. Who played one-on-one with you when you could barely even play basketball? I don’t remember getting anything sexual out of that back then.”

“Yes, but - ” Kise seemed like he was about to fly into one of his whining rants, and Aomine braced himself, but instead Kise just sighed. “Fine. You’re right. I’m probably just - ”

“Cranky that you haven’t been topping lately?”

Kise’s eyes flashed at this, his expression changing into something harder, something darker. Aomine felt a secret thrill; he loved when Kise was like this. It was part of the reason Aomine tried to rile him up so much all the time.

“Ne, Aominecchi, has it ever occurred to you that I was just _letting_ you top? That I was just going along with your stupid rules to amuse you?”

“What does that mean?” Aomine asked warily, as Kise stalked towards him with a downright sinful smirk on his face .

“I’m topping tonight, Aominecchi,” Kise whispered hotly against his ear.

“But I - ”

“I’m sure I’ll find a way to convince you that you want me to top as well. And you know what?”

“Wh-what?”

“After that, we’ll go for another round. Of one-on-one, I mean. And I’ll win. And then I’ll top you a second time. In one night. You can choose the position though, second time around. I’ll be generous.”

Aomine’s stomach was full of butterflies, the anticipation brimming within him. He steeled himself and locked his gaze with Kise’s burning one.

“Try me, Kise.”

* * *

 

True to Kise’s words, he topped that round. The basketball game after was a disaster - moreso because Kise was focused more on seduction than actual basketball, and Aomine was still reeling from the aftereffects of Kise having his way with him and being super rough and demanding, something which Aomine realized turned him on immensely.

Kise ended up scraping an easy victory (Aomine also gave up on the game about ten minutes in), and later that night, he pushed Aomine onto the bed a second time, his hand slipping between Aomine’s thighs and spreading them apart.

“From the front, this time,” Kise murmured. “So I can see your face when I enter you.”

* * *

 

The next day, once Aomine had recovered from the post-sex euphoric haze (Kise had left early in the morning, but Aomine had spent hours lying in his bed and remembering every detail of what Kise had said and done to him the previous night… and what he had done to Kise on the nights before, the way Kise had squirmed and moved and moaned and sighed and reacted, the expressions that beautiful face made…) he finally thought back to Kise’s words, and the argument they had.

It wasn’t really much of an argument, more like their usual banter but Kise had seemed upset.

Aomine had acted like he hadn’t noticed but he had: the way Kise’s lip had trembled, the way his eyes had lost a little of their sparkle.

He didn’t have time to think about it after or confront Kise about because he’d been attacked by the full force of the Kise Ryouta Seduction Technique - one which left no capacity in his brain to think about anything really - but now that he’d relived their magical sex (and the magical pounding he’d received) about five times, he could expend some brainpower to think about it.

_“I challenged you because I enjoy playing basketball with Aomenicchi! You’re doing it for the blowjobs!”_

_“...it used to be about basketball and hanging out together, but now it’s just about - ”_

_“Aominecchi just wants me for my body.”_

Kise’s words echoed in Aomine’s mind.

_He can’t actually think that?_

It was rather troubling, to consider that Kise would actually feel that way. That he would think that Aomine felt that way about him, that he was nothing more than a sex toy…

_But that’s what we are, right? Sex friends? We’re friends who have sex. There isn’t supposed to be anything more than that, so what did he expect me to say?_

And yet, a small nagging voice in Aomine’s head - that sounded annoyingly like Satsui - reminded him that sex friends don’t spend the night and eat breakfast and lunch together and hang out the morning after. Sex friends aren’t taken over by impulses to hold one another’s hands. Sex friends don’t feed each other ice cream. Sex friends don’t feel the need to be in each other’s company all the time, don’t think constantly about where the other is, what they’re doing

“Fuck this,” Aomine muttered aloud.

All the funny flutters and erratic heartbeats he felt when he was with Kise, when Kise casually touched him or even looked at him a certain way. The warm feeling in his chest when Kise smiled at him.

_Sex friends don’t feel any of that,_ Satsuki-voice said sagely.

“Shut up already!”

_Still, Kise shouldn’t be running around thinking that I only hang out with him for sex or something moronic like that…_

****  


* * *

 

Aomine won their next one-on-one. He had to. He had a point to prove, after all. 

After dinner, Kise seemed in a really good mood for some reason, and slid onto Aomine’s lap, his hair still damp and smelling heavenly from his shower.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” Aomine murmured, melting into the kiss.

Damn, it was going to be hard saying no if Kise was the one initiating it.

Kise let Aomine push him back onto the bed, and began tugging at his shorts, as Aomine waged a mental war with himself.

_No. Not tonight. It’s just one goddamn night, you can fuck him every other night._

_But he wants it. He’s asking for it._

_I need to be the bigger person here._

Eventually, almost crying on the inside, Aomine pushed Kise off of him.

Kise raised an eyebrow.

“I dunno, not in the mood.”

Kise eyed his dick. “Suuure you’re not.”

“Not tonight. I don’t feel like.”

“I’ll _make_ you feel like - ”

“No.” Aomine tried very hard to control himself, pushing away Kise’s hand. “Let’s just - watch a movie or something.”

Kise’s expression was priceless. Then -

“Aominecchi, are you sick?!” He placed a hand on Aomine’s forehead.

“The fuck - no - I’m fine, Kise!”

“Are you upset? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened! I told you I’m just not in the mood.”

“But you’re always in the mood!”

“Well not tonight, I’m not.”

“'Minecchi junior suggests you are.”

Aomine scowled. “Ignore that! It’s a natural reaction! I just - I want to watch a movie with you okay, will you stop trying to get into my pants already!”

Kise looked amused. “You’re the one who will be getting into my pants tonight, remember. You won. They’re your rules.”

Aomine wanted nothing more than to tackle him into the bed and fuck him hard, but somehow, by some miracle, he managed to restrain himself.

“Exactly. _I won_. Which means I get to do whatever I want with you tonight, and I’m saying I just want to hang out, okay. Chill, play video games, watch a movie or something.”

Kise stared at him for a few moments - golden eyes calculating, as if he were trying to figure out if Aomine had some hidden motive.

“Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me or something? Like, the more you deny me, the more I’ll want it?”

“No!” Aomine exclaimed, but couldn’t help but add, curiously. “Is it working?”

“It could,” Kise said, before breaking out into a grin. “Okay! Let’s watch a movie! We’ve never watched a movie just the two of us, me and Aominecchi!”

He bounced over to sit next to Aomine on the bed.

“Of course we have, stupid,” Aomine muttered, trying not to blush. _Why is he making such a big deal out of this?!_

“We used to watch old NBA seasons together all the time in middle school. And that stupid J-drama you forced me to watch that one time.”

“Yes, those aren’t movies, Aominecchi. What should we watch?”

“Uh, I don’t know. Horror? Juon? Ringu?”

“No!” Kise said immediately. “I refuse!”

“Why not?”

“They’re terrifying! I won’t be able to sleep in my own bed for weeks!”

It seemed like a tempting idea - Kise, clinging to him in fear, and crashing over for a few weeks because he didn’t want to be alone - but for once Aomine felt like he wanted to be considerate of the blonde’s feelings.

He stored the horror movie idea away for future reference, because it was going to happen. If he couldn’t convince Kise, he’d tell Kagami about it. If Kagami invited Kuroko, Kise wouldn’t refuse.

Actually scratch that, Aomine didn’t want to watch a scary movie with Kuroko around. That would be plain creepy.

“You decide. I have netflix if you want to watch something in English. As long as it’s not a romcom. Momoi dragged me to one of those this one time, I feel asleep, boring as shit.”

“Ooh, log onto netflix, let’s see what they have.”

* * *

 

In the end, they settled on a Kdrama of all things (Kise had a fixation for Kdrama because of all the Japanese idols that went to Korea, and vice-versa). It was about an alien who had lived on earth for 400 years. There was a woman involved too, and it had all the makings of a romantic drama.

Hetero romances were not Aomine’s thing, but he was too tired to care, and Kise seemed really into it. Besides, the male lead was good-looking enough, though to Aomine’s eyes, not as much as Kise.

Aomine was more focused on Kise than the drama, watching him out of the corner of his eye, and enjoying the myriad of expressions Kise made, fully engrossed in the action on-screen.

Aomine shifted in his bed - Kise was leaning against his side - and eventually (after mentally deliberating it for ten minutes) he slung an arm around Kise’s shoulder.

“Hm?” Kise turned slightly.

“Nothing,” Aomine muttered, not meeting his eyes. He tugged Kise a little closer, so that the blonde was half onto his chest.

A few minutes later, and Kise was nestled between Aomine’s legs, his back against Aomine’s chest and Aomine’s arms around him. Their cheeks brushed, as Aomine rested his chin on Kise’s shoulder.

After the first episode ended, the second began streaming automatically. Aomine didn’t stop it, and let it run, wanting an excuse to stay in that position.

Halfway through, he moved his hand - from around Kise’s waist - inching towards Kise’s own.

His fingers brushed over Kise’s knuckles under the blankets.

Aomine swore that Kise could probably feel his heart hammering against his chest as he curled his fingers tentatively around Kise’s, waiting, waiting for a response.

Without a word, Kise loosened his hand, allowing Aomine to thread their fingers together. Kise’s hand was soft, and warm. His thumb brushed over Aomine’s skin, and Aomine let out a soft sigh of relief, one he didn’t even realize he had been holding.

He tensed up again.

_Shit. What if Kise heard that. Why did I even do this, it’s so stupid, we’re just sex friends, we’re not supposed to hold hands!_

Kise tilted his head back slightly, leaning up to nuzzle briefly against Aomine’s cheek, before dropping a soft, sweet kiss there. He settled back down then, focusing on the drama.

Aomine’s head was reeling.

_What are we doing? What the fuck are we doing, it’s Kise and -_

They were cuddling. There was no other word for it.

Aomine wondered, did Kise consider this normal? He seemed so relaxed, so natural almost. Did he do this with everyone? Did it all mean anything to him?

Aomine remembered Kise being gentle with Mai-chan, remembered the way the two had held hands.

_But she was his girlfriend._

And yet, given how well he knew Kise then - Kise couldn't have been _that_ fond of her. He had barely ever blown off practice or one-on-ones for dates. He had never even  _mentioned_ her as his girlfriend. 

_I’m his best friend._

_Am I more important than she was to him?_

And there was Oikawa. Kise had stated explicitly that the two were sex friends, friends with benefits, and nothing more. They had been flirtatious, but they had broken it off immediately when Oikawa had left Tokyo after his tournament. Aomine didn’t even know if they were in touch anymore, though the idea of them being in contact made him uncomfortable.

Still, he remembered seeing Kise reach up and thread his fingers through Oikawa’s. He remembered it because he remembered the nasty feeling that welled up in his chest upon witnessing it.

And yet, Kise had never tried to hold _his_ hand before.

He had let Aomine fuck him - something which had been a first for him - but he had never tried to hold hands.

Did it mean anything, or was it just a coincidence?

Had it meant anything when Kise held hands with Oikawa, flirting playfully? Probably not.

And yet, he and Kise weren’t even flirting. It wasn’t even foreplay. They were sitting in bed, cuddling, watching a movie…

_Is it making his heart race as much as it is mine?_

Aomine didn’t know why he was overthinking it, overthinking everything. He had a creeping doubt - more of just a doubt actually - as to why he cared so much about Kise’s feelings and what Kise meant to him. He just didn’t want to admit it to himself.

* * *

 

Kise fell asleep in his arms that night, fingers interlocked. They stayed that way until morning, curled up under the blankets, Aomine’s nose buried in Kise’s hair as he spooned him from the back.

* * *

 

The morning after, Aomine’s stomach curdled unpleasantly as he realized that Kise was gone. _Again._

There was a text on his phone.

**Sorry I left without saying goodbye, I had an early morning shoot and I didn’t want to wake you! Last night was fun, we should do it again~ see you later! (*^o^*)**

That lifted Aomine’s spirits considerably. Though he _would_ have wanted the blonde idiot to have stayed, just this once, and ditched his stupid shoot.

_It doesn't matter,_ he told himself. 

He'd see Kise again in the evening, anyways. They had plans with Kuroko, Kagami, Midorima and Takao to play streetball. 

Plus, they still had an entire month of summer break left. The last month seemed to have gone by fast,  _way_ to fast - probably because he'd spent most of it with Kise - but this month would be the streetball tournament, and, if they actually went with it, the drinkathon at Kagami's.

 

And nights and nights of sex. Fabulous, _fabulous_ sex _._

Especially compared to his lastsummer - right after Teikou, when he'd had only his hand and a bunch of magazines for company - this summer was turning out to be exponentially better. 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. I didn't know how to end that! I could have written those two interacting forever. 
> 
> Few translations (in case you need them)  
> ecchi: pervert/lewd person (Aominecchi = Aomin-ecchi is basically Kise's variation on his nickname where he's calling him a pervert)  
> hentai: pervert (has other meanings too I believe, but this is one slang usage)   
> hime-sama: princess  
> omurice: omelet rice  
> ne/nee: kind of like 'hey'  
> Juon, Ringu: Japanese names for 'The Grudge' and 'The Ring', absolutely terrifying.
> 
> A couple notes on possible errors:
> 
> -I realized that I'd been using blonde (with an e) to describe Kise even though he's a guy. I can't be bothered to go back and change it. I'm sorry if this bothers anyone! I'm just going to go with it. He's kind of girly after all. 
> 
> -I don't actually know if netflix is available in Japan, let's just assume Aomine can VPN that shit because, well, he's Aomine. 
> 
> -I also don't know what a Japanese middle/high school's timeline is like in terms of breaks and whatnot. I don't think their summer breaks are as long as American high schools, but well, let's just assume for the sake of plot that there is. Again, it's a minor thing and I hope it doesn't bug anyone. 
> 
> Next chapter onwards the plot picks up! I actually have a plot in mind for this, but I'm done posting whatever I had pre-written. Hopefully I'll get time to continue this, but updates might not be as fast from now on. Anyways, I think I've ended this chapter at a place where nobody is left hanging, so hopefully it won't be too hard waiting!
> 
> This is all written from Aomine's POV so we have no clue what Kise is actually thinking. I do however (possibly in chapter 5) plan to finally include Kise's POV about some of this stuff so we know what's going on his head. 
> 
> If you're bored and want to read more, I have two side-stories of sorts written to this fic, both available on my profile. 
> 
> The first is called 'The Teikou Locker Room'. I won't get into details, but it's set during the timeline of events of this story. And no, it's not Kise x Mai-chan, haha. 
> 
> The second is called 'The Gate to the Second Zone' which is probably the most cringe thing I have written in my life to be honest, but it explores Aomine and Kise's basketball-relationship and teamwork, and Zone-related stuff which was touched upon in this chapter (like how Aomine can't enter the Zone around Kise, etc) 
> 
> This story is currently slated at 5 chapters, so it'll go on till AoKise's second year of High School, but probably not get into the 2nd Interhigh and Winter Cup. This also means there will be no Vorpal Swords, because in my mind, that happens either in the Spring or Summer break of their second year. Of course I may be wrong, unsure about the timeline. I might include a few tidbits about Vorpal Swords though (I think it would be fun to write about it's formation from an AoKise perspective) but I'll gloss over Interhigh/Winter Cup completely. 
> 
> Sorry for the rather long notes! Please let me know what you thought about this! :) Lots of AoKise/KiseAo love to you all!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!! Please do review (or is that even a thing on AO3, I'm sorry I'm new here!!) I would love to know your thoughts! 
> 
> The next chapter will feature actual AoKise smut, don't worry! I just needed a lot of buildup hee hee. I meant to post this on Kise's birthday, and then on gay pride day but... well, I got lazy >.


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